Govt, industry propose CCUS hub near Darwin
CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, along with the Northern Territory government, industry and engineering companies will jointly assess the viability of a carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) hub outside of Darwin in Northern Territory (NT), the agency said on September 28.
Industry and engineering companies who have committed to the study include Santos, Inpex, Woodside, Eni, Origin Energy and Xodus.
“The hub would both significantly reduce emissions, but also catalyse the growth of new sustainable industries that could continue throughout the energy transition,” CSIRO said. “If built, it would be one of the world’s largest facilities of its kind, open to a wide range of different industries.”
CSIRO said that the hub would enable the development of an interconnected hydrogen industry and the utilisation of the CO2 captured in other industrial processes, such as the production of other non-fossil fuel alternatives for transportation.
“The NT hub could create new jobs and export pathways, and give Australia a global advantage by pushing the boundaries of science and technology to put home-grown innovation into real-world demonstration projects, including through our hydrogen industry mission,” CSIRO CEO Larry Marshall said.
As the consortium leader, CSIRO will provide scientific advice, coordinate the development of detailed concept designs, build international linkages, and conduct geological research and economic and customer studies.
Australia’s peak oil and gas body APPEA in a separate statement said that joining of CSIRO, the Northern Territory government and industry to develop a path towards rapid emissions reduction across the energy sector in Northern Australia is a positive step.
APPEA NT director Cassy Schmidt said Australia needed low-cost emissions reduction projects and technologies to enhance its position as a leading energy exporter and ensure international competitiveness in a cleaner energy future.
“CCUS has the potential to deliver step-change emissions reduction and is an important way to not only reduce emissions but create thousands of jobs in the process,” Schmidt said. “Australia has a natural competitive advantage to implement CCUS with known high quality, stable geological storage basins, existing infrastructure, world-class technical expertise and regulatory regimes (environment protection, carbon accounting and reporting, financial services).”