Once touted as a front-runner in the race to reduce carbon emissions, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology is again under scrutiny. New data shows that many fossil fuel-related companies worldwide have invested $83 billion in various projects.
The payoff? Last year, CCS technology captured only 0.1% of global emissions.
It’s hardly a stellar return on investment.
A case in point is Oil and Gas Giant Chevron’s Gorgon Gas project in remote Western Australia (WA). The 2.1 Billion Gorgon CCS project ranks among the world’s largest, but it’s failing to meet ambitions of storing 80% of emissions produced by the plant.
Currently, Chevron is capturing about 1.6 million tonnes of CO2 per year. This is well under what was planned and less than half of the yearly storage capacity of four million tonnes. Gorgon consistently faces technical problems injecting its carbon emissions into the earth. However, according to the company, it will press on with its CCS ambitions at Gorgon and other locations, hoping to make the time, effort and cash expended worthwhile. As many in the community call for abandoning CCS, we’ll have to wait and see whether the world’s Oil and Gas majors can finally make it work as intended.
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BHP and Mitsubishi Pledge Support for Green Energy
The BHP and Mitsubishi Alliance, or BMA, will extend a green Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Queensland’s publicly owned generator CleanCo.
The alliance will look to shore up its coal operations in the state with a constant flow of clean energy until 2031. The five-year PPA extension will fund the construction of four new renewable electricity projects across regional QLD, which experts forecast will provide over 1500 local jobs during the build phase.
It’s expected the deal will deliver half the BMA’s forecasted electricity demand at its central Queensland operations for five years from January 2026. According to BHP’s Australian President, Geraldine Slattery, the company aims to reach its decarbonisation goals with the new agreement.
“We are increasing renewable electricity at BMA in line with our decarbonisation commitments to 2030 and beyond, improving the long-term sustainability of our business while at the same time supporting Queensland’s renewable electricity infrastructure build, regional communities and local jobs,” she said. For instance, the planned clean energy projects include a wind farm at Dulacca, due in late 2023, one at MacIntyre, due in 2025 and the Western Downs Green Power Hub and Kaban wind farm, which are expected to come online later this year.
Newcrest Apologises to Affected Residents over Cadia Dust Leak
Newcrest’s interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sherry Duhe apologized to local Cadia residents for the potential health concerns the dust emissions caused.
Ms Duhe made the apology while fronting a New South Wales upper house inquiry alongside Cadia Valley’s general manager, Mike Dewar. “We haven’t always gotten things right,” she offered. Despite the admission, Newcrest focussed on its communication issues with the public rather than acknowledging any wrongdoing.
Mr Dewar told the inquiry there was no evidence supporting the idea that Cadia has emitted dangerous dust levels beyond mining boundaries. “None of our external monitors (suggested) we were polluting off the premises,” he said. In the past, Mr Deware had said the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) was right to raise issues with the site.
The inquiry will continue into October after heavy metals were discovered in the rainwater and the blood analyses of nearby residents. Newcrest commissioned a recent Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA) that determined “the assessment of potential risks to human health from emissions from Cadia are considered to be low and acceptable”.
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References:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-18/cadia-gold-mine-alleged-pollution-nsw-inquiry/102867192
