Carbon capture research moves ahead

2010-07-21 20:05

Cape Town - South Africa is to push ahead with its investigation into storing the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, deep underground in suitable rock formations, Energy Minister Dipuo Peters said on Wednesday.

In this regard, the country would launch a Carbon Dioxide Geological Storage Atlas on August 24, she told delegates attending the Clean Energy Ministerial Meeting in Washington.

"The Atlas addresses potential storage capacity in a number of [geological] basins in South Africa at a theoretical level," her ministry said in a statement from the US capital.

The information in the Atlas - work on which started in 2008 - was based on an examination of existing seismic and borehole data.

"The Atlas is an essential input to the next stages of CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) in South Africa," it said.

These included an analysis of specific basins, including the "on-shore Zululand Basin and the on-shore Outeniqua Basin, with supplementary seismic and borehole data".

An on-shore "test injection" drill site would be identified.

Peters also announced the country would launch a Wind Atlas in August this year, which "will identify potential sites and provide accurate information on the wind resource within the country".

South Africa would also host a "solar investor conference" in September, which would allow potential investors to interact with government and industry on the development of a solar industrial park.


- SAPA