Abby L. Harvey
GHG Monitor
5/23/2014
Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage (SCCS) and the University of Nicosia’s Center for Green Development and Energy Policy (CGD) in Cyprus have reached a new memorandum of understanding regarding research into possible CO2 storage sites beneath the Mediterranean Sea. “Our research agreement with the University of Nicosia’s Centre for Green Development is an exciting development for SCCS. It brings together expertise from both research groups for the shared goal of opening up new opportunities for CO2 storage, as a fledgling hydrocarbons industry in Cyprus plans its future. It will also provide excellent training opportunities for staff and students,” SCCS Director Stuart Haszedine said this week.
The MOU covers research into possible CO2 storage sites that include depleted oil and gas reservoirs and saline aquifers, which would in turn help Cyprus grow its oil and gas industry while allowing them to minimizing its carbon footprint by storing captured carbon under the sea south of the island. The research will employ methods developed by SCCS to not only identify the storage sites, but assess their capacity and study seismic data to provide a full picture of the storage capabilities of the Mediterranean. SCCS has done similar research in the North Sea, also studying the potential for and the economic impacts of Enhanced Oil Recovery in that area.
In a statement, CGD Director Marios Valiantis said, “The government has said that it would like to progress plans for CCS [in addition to oil and gas], following the European CCS Directive. This led us to the expertise of SCCS and Professor Haszeldine, and we look forward to working with SCCS to jointly develop some plans to put before the government of Cyprus. By developing Carbon Capture and Storage alongside the hydrocarbon industry, we aim to grow our economy without contributing to climate change.”