Potential of the Middle Cambrian Aquifer for Carbon Dioxide Storage in the Baltic States

Jānis Krūmiņš, Māris Kļaviņš, Aija Dēliņa, Raivo Damkevics and Valdis Segliņš
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Jānis Krūmiņš: Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Latvia, Jelgavas Str. 1, LV-1004 Riga, Latvia
Māris Kļaviņš: Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Latvia, Jelgavas Str. 1, LV-1004 Riga, Latvia
Aija Dēliņa: Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Latvia, Jelgavas Str. 1, LV-1004 Riga, Latvia
Raivo Damkevics: Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Latvia, Jelgavas Str. 1, LV-1004 Riga, Latvia
Valdis Segliņš: Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Latvia, Jelgavas Str. 1, LV-1004 Riga, Latvia

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 12, 1-16

Abstract: The importance of CO 2 removal from the atmosphere has long been an essential topic due to climate change. In this paper, the authors aim to demonstrate the suitability of the underground reservoirs for CO 2 storage based on their geological characteristics. The research addressed the potential of geological formations for fossil CO 2 storage in the Baltic States to support the goal of achieving carbon neutrality in the region. The geological, technical, and economic feasibility for CO 2 storage has been assessed in terms of carbon sequestration in geological structures and the legal framework for safe geological storage of fossil CO 2 . Results indicate that prospective structural traps in the Baltic States, with reasonable capacity for CO 2 storage, occur only in Southwestern Latvia (onshore) and in the Baltic Sea (offshore), whilst other regions in the Baltics either do not meet basic geological requirements, or have no economically feasible capacity for CO 2 storage. Based on the examination of geological characteristics, the most fitting is the middle Cambrian reservoir in the Baltic sedimentary basin, and one of the most prospective structural traps is the geological structure of Dobele, with an estimated storage capacity of 150 Mt CO 2 . This study revealed that the storage capacity of the middle Cambrian reservoir (up to 1000 Mt CO 2 ) within the borders of Southwestern Latvia is sufficient for carbon capture and safe storage for the whole Baltic region, and that geological structures in Latvia have the capacity to store all fossil CO 2 emissions produced by stationary sources in the Baltic States for several decades.

Keywords: CO 2 geological storage; GHG emissions; Baltic sedimentary basin; the middle Cambrian reservoir; climate change mitigation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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