GTI, a GDF SUEZ company, wins tender for CO2 storage at DSM with innovative technology

GTI, a GDF SUEZ company, in close cooperation with DSM Agro and the Flemish Institute for Technical Research, has developed a an innovative method for the storage of CO2.

It was announced today  that GTI may receive a sum of up to 30 million euro from the Dutch ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, to demonstrate the possibilities  of sustainably storing CO2 (carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas) in the ground below the Chemelot industrial site at Geleen-Sittard in the Dutch province of Limburg. The CO2 will be stored at great depth in calcareous sandstone strata located below coal beds and will come from the ammonia plants of DSM Agro. The study will be conducted in close cooperation with VITO, the Flemish Institute for Technological Research, which has extensive knowledge of soil and soil conditions and with DSM Agro as supplier of the CO2.

In April 2007, the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment called for two tenders. The idea is to develop projects investigating the possibility of safely storing CO2 underground in the Netherlands, with the goal of storing at least 2 million tonnes of pure CO2 within a 10-year period.

New, sustainable and applicable solution

The objective is to capture CO2 released in the ammonia production process and inject it into the calcareous sandstone beds under the coal strata. This will reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. The CO2 will be injected at a depth of approximately 1.8 kilometres and over time it will become a permanent part of the geological structure: it will bind itself to the coal strata and mineralise in the calcareous sandstone. The CO2 will disappear in the course of time and will not saddle future generations with potential problems. "The technology is sustainable, safe and can be used worldwide," said Peter Smeets, Managing Director of GTI Zuidoost.

Ideal site

Chemelot has an ideal site for using the new technology. At the industrial complex in Geleen-Sittard, owned by DSM, DSM Agro operates two ammonia plants. The ammonia production process releases very pure CO2. DSM uses the CO2 in other production processes and supplies the soft drinks industry. The remaining quantity of pure CO2 is ideally suited to underground storage. What's more, the site is located immediately above underground soil layers specifically deemed suitable for holding the CO2.

Test wells

Leakages will be prevented through careful selection of drilling sites, an elaborate care system and technical measures in the drilling wells. To leave nothing to chance, VITO will use inspection holes and modelling to monitor the behaviour of the CO2 during and after the injection period. VITO is a leading research organisation with detailed knowledge of underground soil strata.
There is also considerable interest in underground storage of CO2 in the deep subsoil of Flanders, especially in deep subsoil containing coal in the Campine Basin. VITO's expertise in geological formations will obviously be highly beneficial to the execution of this project.

Solution

A concrete plan has already been worked out and is ready to be put into action. An initial phase will verify a number of assumptions. This will be followed by a definitive test with CO2 injection from the ammonia plant. Dutch government support for the project will pave the way for initiatives that will noticeably help reduce CO2 emissions and limit global warming. "We have to accept that various production processes, like the one for ammonia, cause emissions," said Smeets. "But when we come up with a solution for it, like this form of storage, we can turn our full attention to the development of new ideas, such as completely sustainable energy generation. For GTI and our parent company GDF SUEZ, permanent, sustainable solutions remain the primary goal."

Next steps

To prove the practicability of the proposed plan it will be necessary to conduct trials and to obtain a better picture of the subsoil by means of seismic surveys. The project will also be subject to detailed licensing procedures in which communication with all stakeholders will play an important role.

Editiorial note:
Together with Axima, Elyo, ENDEL, INEO, Tractebel Engineering and Fabricom GTI, GTI is part of GDF SUEZ Energy Services.

As the European leader in multitechnical services, GDF SUEZ Energy Services offers global solutions to its customers in the industry, the infrastructure and the tertiary sectors, from the design, realisation and maintenance of installations to energy and utilities management and long-term multitechnical management.

GDF SUEZ Energy Services employs 76,000 people and achieved revenues of ? 14 billion in 2007.

GDF SUEZ Energy Services is a business line of GDF SUEZ, one of the leading energy providers in the world.