Global CCS Institute to increase focus on a vital technology

Shell International Petroleum Company Limited was the first company to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Australian Government to support the Institute. Under this MoU, Shell has provided expertise in establishing the framework of the Institute, and will actively participate in its programs and services.

Shell’s Chairman in Australia, Russell Caplan, said: “Shell believes CCS will be an essential technology to lower greenhouse gas emissions as the world’s economy transitions to lower carbon energy sources.

“We need safe and cost effective ways to capture and store CO2 from coal, oil and natural gas. Currently CCS is too expensive to deploy on most energy projects, so government leadership and support is vital to make this technology more economically viable and widely utilised.”

Mr Caplan added that the support from the Australian Government to establish the Institute was to be commended.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has identified CCS as the most promising technology for the rapid reduction of global emissions, with reductions of up to 55% possible by 2100.

Shell is focussed globally on CCS technology as part of its push to ensure a responsible energy future. It is involved in the development of large-scale CCS demonstration projects, joint industry initiatives and partnerships with academic institutions.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Claire Wilkinson, Claire.Wilkinson@shell.com, +61 (0)416 924822

Notes to Editors:

Shell’s participation in the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute is the latest in a string of initiatives in which Shell is involved to progress CCS technology. 

Some of the current projects include:

• the International Performance Assessment Centre for Geologic Storage of CO2 (IPAC-CO2) in Canada, with the University of Regina and the Government of the province of Saskatchewan;
• the Australian Otway project, lead by the CO2 Cooperative Research Centre, which has started injecting 100,000 tonnes of CO2 into a depleted natural gas reservoir 2km beneath the surface (http://www.co2crc.com.au/otway/ - opens in new window);
• the Barendrecht CCS project in the Netherlands, which aims to capture 400,000 tonnes per annum of CO2 at Shell’s Pernis refinery;
• the proposed “Quest” project in Canada to capture and store up to 1.2 mio tonnes of CO2 per annum from the Shell Scotford Upgrader and the Scotford Upgrader Expansion (http://www.shell.com/home/content/aboutshell/our_strategy/major_projects_2/athabasca/mining/ - opens in new window);
• the research collaboration with Imperial College London, together with Qatar  Petroleum and Qatar Science and Technology Park, to provide the foundation for new CO2 technologies that can be applied in Qatar and beyond ( http://www.shell.com/home/content/qatar/news_and_library/press_releases/2008/carbonate_reservoirs.html - opens in new window);
• the International Energy Agency Greenhouse Gas Weyburn-Midale CO2 Monitoring and Storage Project that is currently in its final phase in Regina, Canada (www.ptrc.ca/weyburn_overview.php - opens in new window);
• the West Coast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership and CO2 Capture Project in the US (www.CO2captureproject.org - opens in new window); and,
• the CO2SINK pilot project in Germany (www.CO2sink.org - opens in new window).

Shell is a global, integrated energy company with operations in more than 110 countries and territories, with businesses including: oil and gas exploration; production and marketing of liquefied natural gas and gas to liquids; marketing and shipping of oil products and chemicals; and renewable energy projects including wind, solar and biofuels.

Shell is committed to a responsible energy future and the needs of its customers for cleaner, affordable, and convenient supplies of energy.

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