ExxonMobil commences design work on Australian CCS
ExxonMobil said April 14 it would undertake pre-front end engineering design studies on an up to 2mn metric tons/year carbon capture storage project in South East Australia's Gippsland Basin.
The pre-FEED study will be carried out with a view of confirming the viability of the proposed development in the depleted Bream field off the coast of Gippsland in Victoria. If successful, ExxonMobil believes the new CCS hub could be operational by 2025.
The former Bream field would host carbon waste from multiple local industries active in the surrounding region. ExxonMobil's low carbon solutions president Joe Blommaert said it was an important first step to unlock Australia's CCS potential.
"Collaboration with other industries is an important step to unlock future CCS opportunities for Australia, with the potential for large-scale reductions in the highest emitting industrial sectors," he said. "Sound government policies will accelerate the deployment of key technologies required to support society's ambition for a net zero future."
The low carbon solutions division of ExxonMobil aims to deliver more than 20 new CCS plans to support "large-scale" emission reductions globally. ExxonMobil has said it will invest $3bn across its CCS portfolio by 2025. Today, the US major claims it has an equity share in around 20% of the world's overall CO2 capture capacity.
ExxonMobil's forthcoming CCS projects include a potential hub concept in Southeast Texas and an expansion of its 7mn mt/yr facility in Wyoming. In Europe, the company has CO2 capture projects underway in the Netherlands, Belgium and Scotland, and is also looking to build a CCS hub for southeast Asia in Singapore.