The results are in for studies of rock core extracted from Pelican, the first CarbonNet storage site located in the Gippsland Basin. The Pelican site has received top marks from industry experts with data proving the site has excellent geology for CO2 storage, providing a safe carbon capture and storage (CCS) solution in Gippsland.
Modelling of this site was externally verified by world-leading CCS experts from Det Norske Veritas and been reviewed by Geoscience Australia, The British Geological Survey, CSIRO and The Geological Survey of Victoria.
Results from testing align with expectations the site is large enough to store at least five million tonnes of CO2 per year for 25 years. That’s the equivalent of annual CO2 emissions from around one million petrol cars.
In thickness, distribution, and quality, all rock layers were found to be as predicted by the CarbonNet team, down to 99% accuracy.
More than 100 crew worked daily, in shifts, for eight weeks on the Noble Tom Prosser drilling rig over 2019 and 2020 to create the appraisal well and extract the core for analysis.
In August 2020, the core was sent to be analysed in a world-class laboratory.
The CarbonNet team is now updating 3D models of the site using information from the lab. The project will also soon release a report on the jobs that could be created by CarbonNet and CCS enabled industries across Latrobe City and Wellington Shire Councils.