THE North Sea could store the carbon dioxide from all Europe's power stations for hundreds of years, the results of major research to be unveiled today will reveal. Porous rocks beneath the seabed of the North Sea and disused oil and gas fields could provide storage for millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide.
The North Sea could store the carbon dioxide from all Europe's power stations for hundreds of years, the results of major research to be unveiled today will reveal.
Porous rocks beneath the seabed of the North Sea and disused oil and gas fields could provide storage for millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide.
The research, by Edinburgh University, is likely to herald the startof a major new industry for Scotland, using the North Sea to lead the way in efforts to store the greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.
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It will bring the possibility of compressed emissions being transported from power plants across Europe to underground stores beneath the North Sea using the network of pipes already in place for the oil and gas industry one step closer.
It will be the first time it has been shown the porous rocks – known as saline aquifers – beneath the seabed have the potential to store mass quantities of .
"We will be able to conclusively say we can store it in saline aquifers for hundreds of years," a source told The Scotsman.
"This will be a huge opportunity for Scotland. It could create a huge new industry for Scotland."
Professor Stuart Haszeldine, a world expert in carbon capture and storage at Edinburgh University, has been leading the eagerly-awaited research into the potential of the North Sea to store the greenhouse gas.
Article continues: http://news.scotsman.com/environment/North-Sea-has-potential-to.5225500.jp
