Korea Research Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources establishes an integrated evaluation system for carbon dioxide storage under the sea

Comprehensive evaluation of storage resources, geological risk, data reliability, and business maturity

(Daejeon = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Jun-ho = The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) Carbon Storage Research Center announced on the 7th that it has established a 'Storage Readiness (SRL)-based 9-step integrated evaluation system (SBEF)' that can evaluate the entire process from discovery of a candidate carbon dioxide storage site to development and injection preparation on a consistent basis.

This evaluation system is characterized by integrating candidate site selection, storage resource evaluation, geological risk analysis, and development preparation level evaluation, which were previously performed separately, into one process.

In the initial stage, candidate sites are selected based on geological conditions, storage capacity, and risk factors, and thereafter, construction of a geological model, analysis of carbon dioxide injection behavior, licensing and facility preparation, and operational feasibility are evaluated step by step.

The research team explained that through this, it is possible to check not only where it can be stored, but also what more needs to be prepared for actual storage.

As a result of the research team applying it to eight candidate regions in the domestic ocean, four regions passed the initial selection criteria.

In particular, three promising storage areas (SA1 to SA3) were identified in the east of the Gunsan Basin in the West Sea using 2D seismic data from Tamhae No. 2 and existing drilling data. The research team further explained that SA1 has a widely developed sandstone layer with excellent storage properties and its geological structure was evaluated to be relatively stable.

Dr. Kyung-jin Kim of the Carbon Storage Research Center said, "In the future, we will link precise exploration using Tamhae 3 with step-by-step evaluation to more specifically confirm the area and expected size of carbon dioxide storage in our oceans and strengthen the scientific basis for securing follow-up storage."