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Publish date: May 27, 2014
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The partnership was formed between the University of Nicosia’s Centre for Green Development and Energy Policy (CGD) and Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage (SCCS). They will now seek funding for researchers from across the EU to work together in identifying suitable geological CO2 storage sites beneath the Mediterranean Sea to the south of Cyprus.
The scientists will use methodologies, previously developed by SCCS to assess CO2 storage capacity in the North Sea, to study seismic data and other information. This would be used to enhance understanding of storage sites – including depleted oil and gas reservoirs and saline aquifers – which could help boost Cyprus’ capacity to reduce CO2 emissions. When used at a large scale, CO2 capture and storage (CCS) could help countries manage their carbon footprint, from both power production and industrial processes. However, a pre-requisite for the deployment of CCS technologies is the availability of suitable CO2 storage sites.
The research partnership was acknowledged as an exciting development for SCCS by Professor Stuart Haszedine, a SCCS director. He furthermore said: ”It brings together expertise from both research groups for the shared goal of opening up new opportunities for CO2 storage, as a fledging hydrocarbons industry in Cyprus plans its future. It also provides excellent training opportunities for staff and students”.
Dr Marios Valiantis, director of the Centre for Green Development and Energy Policy at the University of Nicosia said ”Cyprus is getting ready for what we hope will be a big new offshore oil and gas industry”.
And continued: “The Government has said that it would like to progress plans for CCS too, following the European CCS Directive. This lead 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”.
Dr Valiantis also made clear that “By developing CCS alongside the hydrocarbon industry, we aim to grow our economy without contributing to climate change”.
Recent attacks on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant "mark the beginning of a new and gravely dangerous front of the war," the UN atomic agency's director general said last week.
After years of inaction, Germany is working on its Carbon Management Strategy to resolve how CCS can play a role in climate action in industry. At the end of February, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action published first key points and a proposal to amend the law Kohlenstoffdioxid Speicherungsgesetz (KSpG). Bellona Deutschland, who was actively involved in the previous stakeholder dialogue submitted a statement in the association hearing.
In the midst of a global discussion on whether natural gas should be used as a transitional fuel and whether emissions from its extraction, production, transport and use are significantly less than those from other fossil fuels, Russia has developed ambitious plans to increase its own production of liquified natural gas (LNG) in the Arctic – a region with 75% of proven gas reserves in Russia – to raise its share in the international gas trade.
In this news digest, we monitor events that impact the environment in the Russian Arctic. Our main focus lies in identifying the factors that contribute to pollution risks and climate change.