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Carbon Sequestration in the

Greater Gulf Coast

Susan HovorkaBureau of Economic Geology

Jackson School of Geosciences

The University of Texas at Austin

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Why Geologic Sequestration?Recent increase in average

global temperatureRecent increase in CO2

concentration

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What is Geologic Sequestration?

Waste CO2 from combustion of

fossil fuel is now released to the

atmosphere

Rather than releasing the CO2,

it can be injected underground

below and separated from potable

water and isolated or sequesteredfrom the atmosphere for thousands

of years

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Gulf Coast

Permian

Basin

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Opportunities for Source-Sink Matching in

the Gulf CoastExisting CO2Pipelines for

enhanced oil

recovery

Vision of future system linkingearly sources (refineries) and

early sinks (reservoirs with

EOR potential) and later sources

(power plants) and sinks (large

volume sediments).

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Proposal to Develop a Greater

Gulf Coast Carbon Center

Partners

Bureau of Economic Geology

Southern States Energy BoardNew Mexico BMMR

Louisiana Geological Survey

Geological Survey Alabama

Mississippi DEQ

UT ESIUT Chemical Engineering

UT Petroleum Engineering

Kinder Morgan

BP

Air Liquide

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GGCCC Proposal Advisors and

Participants Oklahoma Geological

Survey/Sarkeys Energy Center

Railroad Commission of Texas

Lower Colorado RiverAuthority

Texas General Land Office

Chemistry Council

Environmental Defense Fund

State Public Utilities

Commission

Shell Motiva

ConocoPhillips

ChevronTexaco

Nexant

University of Houston

Sandia Technologies

Other Carbon Centers

Future additions

Funding requested:$2.4 million over 2 years2/3 federal 1/3 industry/state

match

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Evolution of GGCCC other

Texas Projects Bureau research in geologic sequestration of

CO2 Abandoned oil fields economic assessment

Brine-bearing formations below and isolated

from potable water on line data base

See www.beg.utexas.edu/co2 Field pilot project in the Houston area

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Field Pilot Project in the Houston

Area Sequestration and experiment and demonstration

Inject and closely monitor CO2 injection and sequestrationunder ideal conditions

$3 million federal funding DOE National EnergyTechnology Laboratory

Test date: fall 2003

3,250 metric tons CO2 from BPs Texas City refinery

sequestered in a non-productive sandstone of the FrioFormation, South Liberty field, Liberty County

Research: BEG, Texas American Resources, SandiaTechnologies, Transpetco, Schlumberger, Geo-Seq (3national labs), NETL

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Pilot site

Power plants

Industrialsources

Highsan

dtren

d

inthe

Frio

Houston

20 miles

Regional Setting of Pilot Site

Significanceto US carbon program:

Potential toupscale to impact

US releases

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Energy past moves toward.

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the energy future

Porosity

Fault planes

A sandB sandC sand

Monitoring wellInjection well

Subsurface

CO2 test

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More Information:

www.beg.utexas.edu/co2

susan.hovorka@beg.utexas.edu

(512) 471- 4863