Screening and Selection of CO2 Storage Sites in the Upper Miocene, Song Hong Basin, Offshore Vietnam

The Song Hong Basin, located offshore in northern and central Vietnam, holds significant potential for CO2 storage due to its favorable geological characteristics. This study leverages geological and geophysical data from oil and gas exploration to evaluate the Upper Miocene sequence for CO2 storage through a two-step approach.

The first step involves screening the entire basin using general technical and economic factors. The results indicate favorable conditions for CO2 storage within the basin.

The second step focuses on site selection. The methodology integrates seismic data, well logs, structural maps, and gross depositional environment maps to create fairway maps highlighting potential storage areas. A comprehensive workflow was developed to exclude unfavorable zones, such as overpressured and low-potential reservoir areas. This process produced maps indicating approximately 34,000 km² of suitable storage areas, primarily concentrated in the central basin, with smaller regions in the south.

In general, the results demonstrate that the basin’s Upper Miocene formations, characterized by good reservoir properties and effective caprocks, are promising candidates for CO2 storage. Future work should focus on further detailed evaluations, including pilot tests and additional data acquisition, to advance CCS implementation in Vietnam.