European mineral statistics 2002-06 : a product of the World Mineral Statistics database

European Mineral Statistics has over 300 pages of tables on minerals production and trade. Thirty two countries are covered including all the EU members, EU applicants, Norway and Switzerland. In the first section there are tables by country, followed by commodity tables with selected graphics and bullet points with information on use and prices

Cross-international boundary effects of CO2 injection

The Bunter Sandstone Formation in the Southern North Sea is a regional saline aquifer that extends across the median line between UK and Netherlands territorial waters. Numerical simulations of CO2 injection into a brine-saturated structural closure located in the UK sector have modelled the temporal development of an injection-induced pressure footprint, together with the potential role of faults in brine migration and pressure dissipation in the aquifer. The modelled pressure footprint extends into the Netherlands Sector and if the faults are considered migration pathways, brine expulsion rates of the order of 50 m3/day/km2 could be expected along the fault zones. This is equivalent to just over 105 Ml, during a 50 year injection period, of which approximately 40% is expelled along a fault beneath Netherlands territorial waters. The simulations have shown that brine displacement will facilitate CO2 injection into the Bunter Sandstone by alleviating pressure build-up, but an understanding of potential brine migration pathways, rates and environmental impacts must be demonstrated to regulators prior to injection

Development of key performance indicators for CO2 storage operability and efficiency assessment: application to the Southern North Sea Rotliegend Group

This paper outlines the development of a methodology which can be used to produce key performance indicators for operability and efficiency of a CO2 storage site. The methodology is based on the premise that individual geological formations and their characteristics can be assessed on the basis of their depositional and tectonic setting and more recent reservoir/site history using hydrocarbon exploration and development data. The methodology is illustrated for a candidate storage reservoir in the Rotliegend Leman Sandstone Formation of the UK Southern North Sea

Data release notes : UK Geoenergy Observatories Glasgow Geothermal Energy Research Field Site (GGERFS) ground gas, 2018 and 2019 surveys

In 2014, the British Geological Survey (BGS) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) were tasked with developing new centres for research into the sub-surface environment to aid the responsible development of new low-carbon energy technologies in the United Kingdom (UK) and internationally. Under the United Kingdom Geoenergy Observatories (UKGEOS) project, two sites were chosen, including the Glasgow Geothermal Energy Research Field Site (GGERFS) in the Cuningar Loop-Dalmarnock area in the east of Glasgow (Figure 1). The aims of the GGERFS facility include de-risking technical aspects of mine water geothermal to assess the feasibility of extracting/storing heat energy in an urbanised former coal mine setting (Monaghan 2019; Monaghan et al. 2017; Monaghan et al. 2018). The initial phase of the GGERFS project entails installing a network of boreholes into the superficial deposits and bedrock in the Cuningar Loop-Dalmarnock area of Glasgow to characterise the geological and hydrogeological setting and assess the potential for shallow geothermal energy. The borehole network is also designed for baseline monitoring to assess the environmental status before and during the lifetime of the project. A ground gas baseline is considered important at the GGERFS site to enable us to determine if there are significant ongoing ground gas contributions from sources such as (i) leakage from mine workings/features related to legacy mine workings (ii) gas generated from components of the made ground (building rubble, mine water, other waste) and (iii) natural soil processes. The made ground at Cuningar Loop is known to have been formed from a range of prior land uses (see Ramboll 2018 a, b) and is commonly around 10 m thick. Ground gas measurement is an important tool for monitoring geoenergy sites since sensitive measurements of, for example, CO2, CH4 and associated gases can be made directly within the biosphere in which we live. Monitoring of ground gas in the vadose zone has been undertaken as part of a broader GGERFS environmental monitoring effort that includes groundwater, soil and surface water chemistry, ground movement and seismicity. The intention of ground gas monitoring, indeed the environmental monitoring effort as a whole, is to characterise pre-existing i.e. pre-operational or baseline conditions, particularly with respect to former coal mining, building demolition, waste disposal/landfill, or other industrial activities, before significant development occurs in relation to GGERFS. As such, it should be noted that the August 2018 survey precedes any development of GGERFS and can be considered ‘baseline’ in the conventional sense, whereas the May and October 2019 surveys were conducted alongside site construction but ahead of site operation. Approaches to monitoring ground gas may include long term continuous monitoring using permanently deployed instruments, and discrete surveys involving mobile, wide area screening techniques (for example open path laser, cavity ring down laser) to augment high density grids of detailed point measurements. Point measurement data from ground gas surveys conducted at the Glasgow Geothermal Energy Research Field Site (GGERFS) in August 2018, and May and October 2019 are reported. Ground gas is defined here as: a. gas concentrations in the shallow (c.70-100 cm below ground level) unsaturated zone of the subsurface, and b. gas flux at the soil-atmosphere interfac

Review of offshore CO2 storage monitoring: operational and research experiences of meeting regulatory and technical requirements

Legislation for offshore storage has been developing over the last decade or so and is currently most developed in Europe. Although the large-scale operating sites in Europe were started prior to the regulations coming into force, any planned sites will need to meet these regulatory requirements. Our review of monitoring experiences from both the operating sites and research at experimental injection sites and in areas of natural CO2 seepage suggest that broadly, the technical and regulatory challenges of offshore monitoring can be met. A full report reviewing offshore monitoring including tool capabilities, practicalities and costs is available from IEAGHG (released Q1 2016)

Risk assessment-led characterisation of the SiteChar UK North Sea site for the geological storage of CO2

Risk assessment-led characterisation of a site for the geological storage of CO2 in the UK northern North Sea was performed for the EU SiteChar research project as one of a portfolio of sites. Implementation and testing of the SiteChar project site characterisation workflow has produced a ‘dry-run’ storage permit application that is compliant with regulatory requirements. A site suitable for commercial-scale storage was characterised, compatible with current and future industrial carbon dioxide (CO2) sources in the northern UK. Pre-characterisation of the site, based on existing information acquired during hydrocarbon exploration and production, has been achieved from publicly available data. The project concept is to store captured CO2 at a rate of 5 Mt per year for 20 years in the Blake Oil Field and surrounding Captain Sandstone saline aquifer. This commercial-scale storage of 100 Mt CO2 can be achieved through a storage scenario combining injection of CO2 into the oil field and concurrent water production down-dip of the field. There would be no encroachment of supercritical phase CO2 for more than two kilometres beyond the field boundary and no adverse influence on operating hydrocarbon fields provided there is pressure management. Components of a storage permit application for the site are presented, developed as far as possible within a research project. Characterisation and technical investigations were guided by an initial assessment of perceived risks to the prospective site and a need to provide the information required for the storage permit application. The emphasis throughout was to reduce risks and uncertainty on the subsurface containment of stored CO2, particularly with respect to site technical performance, monitoring and regulatory issues, and effects on other resources. The results of selected risk assessment-led site characterisation investigations and the subsequent risk reassessments are described together with their implications for the understanding of the site. Additional investigations are identified that could further reduce risks and uncertainties, and enable progress toward a full storage permit application. Permit performance conditions are presented as SiteChar-recommended useful tools for discussion between the competent authority and operator

Optimising CO2 storage in geological formations; a case study ofshore Scotland - CO2 MultiStore project

Carbon capture, transport and storage (CCS) is considered a key technology to provide a secure, low-carbon energy supply and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions (DECC, 2014) that contribute to the adverse effects of climatic change (IPCC, 2014). Commercialisation projects for the permanent storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) captured at power plants are currently in the design stage for the Peterhead, White Rose, Caledonia Clean Energy (DECC, 2013, 2015) and Don Valley projects. Storage of the CO2 captured by these projects is planned in strata deep beneath the North Sea in depleted hydrocarbon fields or regionally extensive sandstones containing brine (saline aquifer sandstones). The vast majority of the UK and Scotland's potential storage resource, which is of European significance (SCCS, 2009), is within brine-saturated sandstone formations. The sandstone formations are each hundreds to thousands of square kilometres in extent and underlie all sectors of the North Sea. The immense potential to store CO2 in these rocks can only be fully achieved by the operation of more than one injection site within each formation. Government, university and research institutes, industry, and stakeholder organisations have anticipated the need to inform a second phase of CCS developments following on from a commercialisation project in Scotland. The CO2MultiStore study, led by Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage (SCCS), investigates the operation of more than one injection site within a storage formation using a North Sea case study. The Captain Sandstone, within the mature oil and gas province offshore Scotland, contains the Goldeneye Field, which is the planned storage site for the Peterhead CCS project. Previous research (SCCS, 2011) was augmented by data from offshore hydrocarbon exploration and detailed investigation of the Goldeneye Field for CO2 storage (Shell, 2011a-i). The research was targeted to increase understanding and confidence in the operation of two or more sites within the Captain Sandstone. Methods were implemented to reduce the effort and resources needed to characterise the sandstone, and increase understanding of its stability and performance during operation of more than one injection site. Generic learning was captured throughout the CO2MultiStore project relevant to the characterisation of the extensive storage sandstones, management of the planned injection operations and monitoring of CO2 injection at two (or more) sites within any sandstone formation. The storage of CO2 can be optimised by the operation of more than one injection site in a geological formation by taking a regional-scale approach to site assessment. The study concludes that at least 360 million tonnes of CO2 captured over the coming 35 years could be permanently stored using two injection sites in the Captain Sandstone. Confidence in the planned operation of two or more injection sites in a storage formation is greatly increased by the use of existing information, knowledge and data acquired during hydrocarbon exploitation. Widespread pressure changes should be expected by the injection of CO2 at more than one site. Assessment, management and monitoring of pressure changes on a regional scale will optimise the storage capacity, ensure security of storage and prevent adverse effects to existing storage and hydrocarbon operations. The vast offshore potential across all sectors of the North Sea could be made accessible and practical for storage of CO2 captured from European sources by the operation of two or more sites in a storage formation by following the approach taken in CO2MultiStore.Carbon capture, transport and storage (CCS) is considered a key technology to provide a secure, low-carbon energy supply and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions (DECC, 2014) that contribute to the adverse effects of climatic change (IPCC, 2014). Commercialisation projects for the permanent storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) captured at power plants are currently in the design stage for the Peterhead, White Rose, Caledonia Clean Energy (DECC, 2013, 2015) and Don Valley projects. Storage of the CO2 captured by these projects is planned in strata deep beneath the North Sea in depleted hydrocarbon fields or regionally extensive sandstones containing brine (saline aquifer sandstones). The vast majority of the UK and Scotland's potential storage resource, which is of European significance (SCCS, 2009), is within brine-saturated sandstone formations. The sandstone formations are each hundreds to thousands of square kilometres in extent and underlie all sectors of the North Sea. The immense potential to store CO2 in these rocks can only be fully achieved by the operation of more than one injection site within each formation. Government, university and research institutes, industry, and stakeholder organisations have anticipated the need to inform a second phase of CCS developments following on from a commercialisation project in Scotland. The CO2MultiStore study, led by Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage (SCCS), investigates the operation of more than one injection site within a storage formation using a North Sea case study. The Captain Sandstone, within the mature oil and gas province offshore Scotland, contains the Goldeneye Field, which is the planned storage site for the Peterhead CCS project. Previous research (SCCS, 2011) was augmented by data from offshore hydrocarbon exploration and detailed investigation of the Goldeneye Field for CO2 storage (Shell, 2011a-i). The research was targeted to increase understanding and confidence in the operation of two or more sites within the Captain Sandstone. Methods were implemented to reduce the effort and resources needed to characterise the sandstone, and increase understanding of its stability and performance during operation of more than one injection site. Generic learning was captured throughout the CO2MultiStore project relevant to the characterisation of the extensive storage sandstones, management of the planned injection operations and monitoring of CO2 injection at two (or more) sites within any sandstone formation. The storage of CO2 can be optimised by the operation of more than one injection site in a geological formation by taking a regional-scale approach to site assessment. The study concludes that at least 360 million tonnes of CO2 captured over the coming 35 years could be permanently stored using two injection sites in the Captain Sandstone. Confidence in the planned operation of two or more injection sites in a storage formation is greatly increased by the use of existing information, knowledge and data acquired during hydrocarbon exploitation. Widespread pressure changes should be expected by the injection of CO2 at more than one site. Assessment, management and monitoring of pressure changes on a regional scale will optimise the storage capacity, ensure security of storage and prevent adverse effects to existing storage and hydrocarbon operations. The vast offshore potential across all sectors of the North Sea could be made accessible and practical for storage of CO2 captured from European sources by the operation of two or more sites in a storage formation by following the approach taken in CO2MultiStore