The Gorgon gas project in the state of Western Australia was built by Chevron in 2016, and produces 25 million metric tons of natural gas and up to 10 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. This is because the Gorgon gas field contains not just natural gas but also carbon dioxide, which exists in many gas fields globally. This means Chevron must separate CO2 before it can liquefy natural gas for transport.
Most of the carbon dioxide separated from the process is released to the atmosphere, but the Australian government granted Chevron the permission to extract gas, with the condition that the company would bury some of the carbon dioxide.
Two-years after the project start, Chevron has announced that it began injecting compressed carbon dioxide in a sandstone reservoir beneath a nature reserve on Barrow Island. The company said it will bury as much as four million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, which would reduce the project’s carbon footprint by approximately 40%.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is the heart of the project. Although the technology has been used commercially for more than 50 years, there are only 20 well-known large-scale CCS projects in the world today.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is the heart of the project. Although the technology has been used commercially for more than 50 years, there are only 20 well-known large-scale CCS projects in the world today.