Methods to Assess Geologic CO2 Storage Capacity: Status and Best Practice

This report reflects the consensus of two workshops organized by the IEA in 2011 and attended by the geological surveys of Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States, together with the IEA. At these workshops, the need for a common procedure was identified to allow for a transparent and robust assessment of geologic CO2 storage resources throughout the world and across geologic settings, regardless of the amount of available geologic data. The report provides an overview of factors to consider before undertaking a CO2 storage assessment on saline aquifers as well as a comparison of 10 recently published storage resource assessment methods and estimates, each of which is characterized according to 10 parameters with tabulated results. In addition, the report provides a list of steps that may be used to assess geologic CO2 resources according to a harmonized set of best practices derived from experience with various settings, locations and resource types.