Figure 5 Antofagasta-Bio Bio Regions potential hubs
campaign will enable people to form their own more informed opinions about CCUS. Although this does not always lead to acceptance, it does assist in creating a more positive attitude towards the technology. CCUS hubs One key element that will be critical to the development of commercial CCUS at the scale required to meet climate objectives is the establishment of capture and storage hubs, as In Chile, the emission concentration zones present a favourable condition for developing integrated CCUS hubs combined clusters of industrial sources of CO 2 near storage locations, de-risking development by enabling efficiencies of scale and shared cost. In Chile, the emission concentration zones present a favourable condition for developing integrated CCUS hubs by matching CO 2 sources with sinks based on emissions volumes, storage capacity and available infrastructure of electricity-generating industrial processes and fuels processing. Using data from old oil exploration efforts developed in Chile in the 1970s to 1980s were preliminarily identified locations for detailed assessment as potential CCUS hubs, concluding with a high probability that there are adequate geological reservoirs at least in the Antofagasta
and Bio Bio Regions. These could allow the storage of CO 2 , with an estimated cost of 60-150 US$/t for the potential capture of 40% of the electricity generating and industrial energy sector current emissions (see Figure 5 ). Summary CCUS technology does not prevent the generation of GHGs, but it promises to prevent them from being emitted into the atmosphere and, therefore, reduce their impact on the climate for long periods. In the case of Chile, the development of geological storage for captured CO 2 , coupled with natural forest sinks, can provide additional time until the emission reduction and prevention measures considered to be priorities are fully effective and give assurance of net-zero achievement or if a quicker reduction than the forest capture rate is needed. These reasons mean that CCUS technology is not in itself a sustainable option. However, it does represent a transitional solution to climate change mitigation, a ‘bridge’ technology until renewable energy sources are developed in sufficient quantities and are accessible by the majority of the population. For Chile, CCUS also presents a potential opportunity to go beyond carbon neutrality and provide a source of ‘negative emissions’ in the face of the urgency to reduce them.
Jose Barriga Cabezón josebarrigacabezon@gmail.com VIEW REFERENCES
www.decarbonisationtechnology.com
28
Powered by FlippingBook