International Developments in the Field of Unconventional Gas and Oil Extraction: Update 2017

The last few years have witnessed a wealth of studies, reports and assessments being published in many EU member states, by national and international organisations and in the research community on economic, environmental and human health related aspects of unconventional oil and gas exploration and production. Many R&D initiatives are also underway. This report attempts to provide a survey of several of such studies and initiatives, with a focus on the years 2015, 2016 and early 2017. Principally, reports and studies from public bodies and scientific institutes were covered. Additionally, several papers published in peer-reviewed journals were included. A review of the quality of the studies covered, the accuracy of their claims and their possible limitations was not carried out. This report is therefore only meant to provide a compilation of their summaries, without any endorsement of the findings reported in any of the studies and assessments covered in the report.JRC.C.3-Energy Security, Distribution and Market

SETIS expert workshop on the assessment of the potential of pumped hydropower storage

Energy storage is an important option to enable a higher share of variable renewable electricity such as wind and solar, in the energy system. Pumped hydropower storage (PHS) is currently the only storage technology able to provide the large storage needed for accommodating renewable electricity under the 2020 EU energy targets. Moreover, the transformation of an existing water reservoir into a PHS facility has a much smaller environmental and social impact compared with most new hydropower plant in Europe. The JRC collaborated with University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland to develop a GIS-based methodology and model to assess the potential for transforming single reservoirs into PHS systems. Then the JRC organised a multi-disciplinary expert workshop to validate the methodology and model, provide a set of recommendations for the improvement of the effectiveness and efficiency of the methodology, address the issue of data availability in the Member States, and share and disseminate the methodology among relevant stakeholders, such as policy makers, industry, research, etc. This report presents the results of the workshop which concluded that the assessment of the potential for PHS is different when its purpose is site assessment or policy planning and decision-making; and that the use of geographical information systems models is effective, efficient and convenient for both purposes whereas what differs is the intensity of the use of the tools, the detail of the data needed and the assumptions behind the model and methodology. The restriction to PHS development imposed by the different types of nature protection areas (NPA) is different in different countries. Also, laws and perceptions change with time and as PHS projects take a long time to realise the scientific assessment of European or national potential cannot take current NPAs and laws into account with the same weight as the site assessment for a proposed PHS project. Country and European assessment is heavily dependent on the assumptions taken. For example, sensibility analysis showed that enlarging the maximum distance between two reservoirs from 5 to 20 km increased the theoretical potential for Croatia from 60 GWh to nearly 600 GWh.JRC.F.6-Energy systems evaluatio

Techno-economic Assessment of Carbon Utilisation Potential in Europe

The purpose of this work is to analyse different carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) options, and hence to identify the role of CCU on the future European energy and industrial sectors. This work carries out the techno-economic analyses of methanol synthesis and accelerated aqueous carbonation of waste (fly ash) as two differentiated options for CO2 conversion. Process flow modelling is used to evaluate the operational and cost performances of two conceptual designs. Calibration and validation of the models are completed to then assess diverse operational, economic and environmental key performance indicators (KPIs). The inlet CO2 and fly ash originate from a conventional power plant. The needed hydrogen for the methanol case is produced by water electrolysis. The work puts into relevance the differences in performance and costs for the two processes analysed. Future work will contemplate other CCU processes and a global market study in the European context that focuses on (i) current prices and demands for the products, and (ii) the analysis of their foreseen market evolution and price elasticity.JRC.F.6-Energy Technology Policy Outloo

Reserves and resources for CO2 storage in Europe: the CO2StoP project

The challenge of climate change demands reduction in global CO2 emissions. In order to fight global warming many countries are looking at technological solutions to keep the release of CO2 into the atmosphere under control. One of the most promising techniques is carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS), also known as CO2 geological storage. CCS can reduce the world’s total CO2 release by about one quarter by 2050 (IEA 2008, 2013; Metz et al. 2005). CCS usually involves a series of steps: (1) separation of the CO2 from the gases produced by large power plants or other point sources, (2) compression of the CO2 into supercritical fluid, (3) transportation to a storage location and (4) injecting it into deep underground geological formations. CO2StoP is an acronym for the CO2 Storage Potential in Europe project. The CO2StoP project which started in January 2012 and ended in October 2014 included data from 27 countries (Fig. 1). The data necessary to assess potential locations of CO2 storage resources are found in a database set up in the project. A data analysis system was developed to analyse the complex data in the database, as well as a geographical information system (GIS) that can display the location of potential geological storage formations, individual units of assessment within the formations and any further subdivisions (daughter units, such as hydrocarbon reservoirs or potential structural traps in saline aquifers). Finally, formulae have been developed to calculate the storage resources. The database is housed at the Joint Research Centre, the European Commission in Petten, the Netherlands.JRC.F.6-Energy Technology Policy Outloo

Carbon Capture and Utilisation Workshop: Background and proceedings

The utilisation of CO2 as technological fluid or as feedstock in chemical processes and in biotechnological applications has the potential to be a very efficient tool when merged with development of innovative and feasible technologies that have less-intensive energy and materials consumption and the capacity of temporary or permanent storage of CO2 (other than geological storage). The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Institute for Energy and Transport, and the Directorate General for Climate Action co-hosted a workshop on CO2 re-use technologies in Brussels on the 7th June 2013. The aim of the workshop was to present how the most promising pathways for CO2 re-use are related to climate and energy technology policies, facilitate a dialogue between stakeholders (industry, academia and policy makers) and address the challenges for a possible large scale roll-out of CO2 re-use technologies. A number of six presentations from experts focused on the state-of-the art of the technology, the needs of the sector for large scale deployment and the impact of the CO2 re-use products on the market. In particular, the workshop focused on three promising pathways, i.e. methanol production, mineralisation and polymer production.JRC.F.6-Energy systems evaluatio

Reserves and resources for CO2 storage in Europe: the CO2 StoP project

Th e challenge of climate change demands reduction in global CO 2 emissions. In order to fi ght global warming many coun- tries are looking at technological solutions to keep the release of CO 2 into the atmosphere under control. One of the most promising techniques is carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS), also known as CO 2 geological storage. CCS can re- duce the world’s total CO 2 release by about one quarter by 2050 (IEA 2008, 2013; Metz et al. 2005). CCS usually in- volves a series of steps: (1) separation of the CO 2 from the gases produced by large power plants or other point sources, (2) compression of the CO 2 into supercritical fl uid, (3) trans- portation to a storage location and (4) injecting it into deep underground geological formations. CO 2 StoP is an acronym for the CO 2 Storage Potential in Europe project. Th e CO 2 StoP project which started in Janu- ary 2012 and ended in October 2014 included data from 27 countries (Fig. 1). Th e data necessary to assess potential loca- tions of CO 2 storage resources are found in a database set up in the project. A data analysis system was developed to analyse the com- plex data in the database, as well as a geographical informa- tion system (GIS) that can display the location of potential geological storage formations, individual units of assessment within the formations and any further subdivisions (daugh- ter units, such as hydrocarbon reservoirs or potential struc- tural traps in saline aquifers). Finally, formulae have been developed to calculate the storage resources. Th e database is housed at the Joint Research Centre, the European Commis- sion in Petten, the Netherlands. Background and methods CO 2 storage resource assessment A resource can be defi ned as anything potentially available and useful to man. Th e pore space in deeply buried reservoir rocks that can trap CO 2 is a resource that can be used for CO 2 storage. It is of utmost importance to be aware that the mere presence of a resource does not indicate that any part of it can be economically exploited, now or in the futur

European Science and Technology Network on Unconventional Hydrocarbon Extraction: Annual Report 2015

The present report firstly summarizes the background for creating the "European Science and Technology Network on Unconventional Hydrocarbon Extraction", based on a Communication from the European Commission to the Council and the Parliament. It further describes the organisation and functioning of the Network as well as the status of the foreseen deliverables of the Working Groups realized in 2015.JRC.F.3-Energy Security, Systems and Marke

European Unconventional Oil and Gas Assessment (EUOGA) - Development and application of a unified methodology

Over the last decade, various international and national assessments of shale gas and shale oil resources for most EU-countries have been published. Due to methodological differences and in fundamental assumptions related to the quality and quantity of underlying geological information, these results are not comparable and in some cases not reproducible. This presentation focusses on the development and definition of a uniform methodology for estimating (in-place) shale gas and shale oil resources at the pan-European level within the context of the EUOGA study (EU Unconventional Oil and Gas Assessment). The presented methodology is established to determine estimates of GIIP (Gas Initially In Place) and OIIP (Oil Initially In Place) including associated uncertainty bandwidths originating from the various geological input parameters. The method is applied to 81 onshore shale gas or oil formations from 33 thermogenic and two biogenic basins located within the participating European countries. The results of the assessment include a geological description of the basins together with a general chance of success, a ranking of the individual assessment units and the final calculation of GIIP or OIIP for the formations.JRC.C.3-Energy Security, Distribution and Market

Resource estimation ofeighty-two European shale formations

Twenty-one national geological surveys contributed to the European wide project ‘EU Unconventional Oil and Gas Assessment’ (EUOGA). The goal of EUOGA was to assess all potentially prospective shale formations from the main onshore basins in Europe and included contributions of twenty-one European geological surveys. Each participating geological survey characterized their domestic shale plays using thirty systematic parameters such as areal distribution, structural setting, average net to gross ratio of the shale reservoir, average Total Organic Carboncontent (TOC) and average mineralogical composition. The assessment covers 82 geological formations from 38 basins. Subsequently a stochastic volumetric probability assessment was performed on 49 of these formations which met the prerequisites for assessment. Importantly, this study for the first time used a unified methodology for assessing resources across European borders. Paleozoic plays in Poland, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Ukraine hold the largest potential gas resources. Most shale oil potential is observed in Bulgaria, the United Kingdom and Ukraine. The total resource potential for the geological formations that were evaluated in the project is 89.2 trillion cubic meter of gas initially in place (GIIP P50) and 31.4 billion bbl of oil initially in place (OIIP P50). The outcome of this project represents the most complete and accurate determination of shale hydrocarbon resources in Europe to date.JRC.C.3-Energy Security, Distribution and Market

Open ECHO/ Database of unconventional Wells and Atlas

First European Atlas of Unconventional Hydrocarbons: an interactive information and data sharing web map application developed in collaboration with European national geological surveysJRC.C.3-Energy Security, Distribution and Market