Independent Third Party Integrated Multi-disciplinary CCUS Characterization and Evaluations

As CCS projects ramp up globally, increasing scrutiny will be placed on successful project execution and operations to ensure safe and assured CO2 containment. To achieve this, an integrated, multi-disciplinary workflow between geoscientists, subsurface engineers, and surface engineers is a necessity. While many regulatory entities do not require third-party validation as part of the permitting process, a growing number of projects are incorporating integrated surface and subsurface evaluations, focusing on reservoir characterizations, injectivity and storage capacity analysis, surface facility design, and project execution, through third part certifications as part of their technical rigor. We investigate the role of third-party certifications and how the robust verification and validation process plays a crucial component in assuring safe and long-term subsurface CO2 storage in depleted oil and gas reservoirs, saline aquifer systems, and in CO2 storage in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) fields. This presentation aims to use examples from recent global CCS projects to illustrate the importance and necessity of integrated geoscience, reservoir engineering, and surface engineering in third-party evaluations as part of the technical rigor for CCS projects.