Emissions, carbon abatement and data integration: CCS projects
Fabio Terzini A * and Brett Morkunas BA
B
Dr Fabio Terzini is the Lead Engineer and Product Owner for Net Zero at Elite Energy Consultants and has been supporting the delivery of specialised engineering and IT projects around the globe. Dr Terzini is a chemical engineer and holds a PhD in reservoir engineering from The University of Queensland in Australia. Prior to joining Elite Energy, Dr Terzini worked with Worley and Advisian on various large-scale projects in Australia, New Zealand and Brazil. Dr Terzini also has interest in hydrogen production, CCUS and greenhouse gas emissions. |
Mr Brett Morkunas is a Partner at Nexia Edwards Marshall and has been involved in emissions compliance, assurance and the broader resources industry for over 20 years. Brett is a Registered Greenhouse and Energy Auditor and a Registered Company Auditor. Prior to returning to professional practice, Brett worked at Santos Limited for more than 10 years in various roles in finance and production allocation and has been directly involved in the implementation of greenhouse gas reporting systems and other significant IT projects. Brett regularly advises on NGER, Safeguard Mechanism and carbon compliance. |
Abstract
The impacts of climate change and efforts to achieve net zero emissions underscore the importance of a varied range of technologies designed to decrease emissions and handle carbon effectively. As carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects become increasingly integral to decarbonisation efforts, complexities emerge in the management of operations, verification and monitoring, commercial, joint venture (JV) and regulatory requirements. External tools developed in Excel have been commonly used to carry out CCS related calculations, such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, carbon credit units, and their allocation between JV participants, as well as generate reports. This approach can prove to have negative long-term impacts as it is difficult to maintain and can lack transparency and auditability, especially when poorly documented. In this paper, we explore how integrating a CCS application into the existing Data Management System (EnergySys), used for production allocation and GHG emissions reporting, can enhance operational efficiency and ensure adherence to both legislative and commercial standards in a transparent and auditable manner.
Keywords: carbon credits, CCS, CCUS, Clean Energy Regulator, climate change, emissions, energy transition, GHG, greenhouse gas, hydrocarbon accounting, net zero, oil and gas.
Dr Fabio Terzini is the Lead Engineer and Product Owner for Net Zero at Elite Energy Consultants and has been supporting the delivery of specialised engineering and IT projects around the globe. Dr Terzini is a chemical engineer and holds a PhD in reservoir engineering from The University of Queensland in Australia. Prior to joining Elite Energy, Dr Terzini worked with Worley and Advisian on various large-scale projects in Australia, New Zealand and Brazil. Dr Terzini also has interest in hydrogen production, CCUS and greenhouse gas emissions. |
Mr Brett Morkunas is a Partner at Nexia Edwards Marshall and has been involved in emissions compliance, assurance and the broader resources industry for over 20 years. Brett is a Registered Greenhouse and Energy Auditor and a Registered Company Auditor. Prior to returning to professional practice, Brett worked at Santos Limited for more than 10 years in various roles in finance and production allocation and has been directly involved in the implementation of greenhouse gas reporting systems and other significant IT projects. Brett regularly advises on NGER, Safeguard Mechanism and carbon compliance. |
References
British Geological Survey (2023) Understanding carbon capture and storage. Available at https://www.bgs.ac.uk/discovering-geology/climate-change/carbon-capture-and-storage/
Celia MA, Bachu S, Nordbotten JM, Bandilla KW (2015) Status of CO2 storage in deep saline aquifers with emphasis on modeling approaches and practical simulations. Water Resources Research 51, 6846-6892.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Clean Energy Regulator (2024) Our agency and our schemes. Available at https://www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/About/Pages/Accountability%20and%20reporting/Corporate%20plans/Corporate%20Plan%202018-22/Our-agency-and-our-schemes.aspx
CSIRO (2023) Capturing global attention: Carbon capture, utilisation and storage. Available at https://www.csiro.au/en/news/all/articles/2023/september/ccus-explainer
IEA (2023) Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage. Available at https://www.iea.org/energy-system/carbon-capture-utilisation-and-storage
Terzini F, Hayes E (2023) Greenhouse gas emissions tracking: making it count. The APPEA Journal 63, S455-S459.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
