The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has announced the release of the final two of five 2017 revised edition best practice manuals for geologic carbon storage projects. Together, the five interconnected manuals provide a holistic approach to carrying out a geologic storage project, from inception to completion.

Carbon capture and storage involves capturing carbon dioxide (CO₂) at large power generation or other industrial facilities, transporting the captured CO₂ by pipeline or other means, and injecting the CO₂ into the deep subsurface for permanent storage, usually in conjunction with enhanced oil recovery operations or into saline reservoirs.

In 2003, DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and NETL launched the Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (RCSP) Initiative, which selected seven regional partnerships across the United States to develop and test the best technologies for safe and permanent storage of CO₂ in their respective regions. Experts from DOE and the RCSPs worked together on the latest update to the best practice manuals, which incorporate knowledge gained through each of the partnerships.

The 2017 revisions include new information learned as the RCSPs progressed to large-scale Development Phase field projects. The latest manuals include a variety of carbon storage scenarios at different geologic and geographic settings across the United States. Along with updated content, the manuals have a fresh look and feel, with integrated and color-coded case studies from the RCSPs on various topics.

The revised edition best practice manuals just released are these:

• Monitoring, Verification, and Accounting (MVA) for Geologic Storage Projects (August 2017)
• Operations for Geologic Storage Projects (August 2017)

They join three updated manuals that were released earlier this summer:

• Public Outreach and Education for Geologic Storage Projects (June 2017)
• Risk Management and Simulation for Geologic Storage Projects (June 2017)
• Site Screening, Site Selection, and Site Characterization for Geologic Storage Projects (June 2017)

In addition to producing best practice manuals and other resources, the RCSPs also develop human capital, encourage stakeholder networking, develop carbon mitigation plans, and enhance public outreach and education. Sharing of lessons learned and best practices is critical for the deployment of carbon capture and storage.