Project title: Investigation of the CO2 storage potential of the Central North Celtic Sea Basin
Researcher: Dr Pablo Rodriguez Salgado
The proposed project aims to identify potential sites for CO2 storage in the Central part of the North Celtic Sea Basin and to quantify geological uncertainties associated with their development. This project represents the first basin-scale study of the geological storage potential in the area and it is expected to become a reference for future storage project development. The main research questions are: What are the characteristic properties of reservoir rocks and seals and their spatial distribution within the Celtic Sea basins? How do the different families of faults affect the seal rock integrity? Which faults are most susceptible to reactivation during CO2 injection? Where are the pre-eminent geological traps/sites for CO2 injection and storage? What volumes of CO2 can potentially be stored in the reservoir rocks within the identified traps/sites? What CO2 injection rates are feasible for the reservoirs and seals concerned? To answer these questions, multiple observations from individual boreholes including pressure tests, oil and gas show distribution, core and fluid sample analyses, and stress indicators are combined with the existing regional-scale mapping of faults and key horizons to reduce the main uncertainties relating to i) the nature and spatial distributions of reservoir and seal rock formations, ii) the distribution and characteristics of faults and iii) estimates of potential CO2 storage volumes.