The potential for CO2 geological storage in the Porto basin

Abstract

The storage of CO2 is an up to date topic involving numerous governmental, academic and commercial institutions. COMET is a joint research project co-financed by the European Seventh Framework Programme that aims at identifying and assessing the most cost effective CO2 transport and storage infrastructure able to serve the West Mediterranean area, namely Portugal, Spain and Morocco. In this project a preliminary assessment of the potential reservoir and storage capacity in the Porto Basin was made. To be considered geological units for potential storage of CO2 certain geological criteria must be obeyed, including depth, porosity, permeability, among others. Through the analysis of simplified porosity-depth profiles, two formations were identified as potential reservoirs for CO2 storage: the Torres Vedras and Silves formations. In the Porto Basin, between the recommended depths, the maximum porous volume available for storage was estimated to be 2364 km3 for the Torres Vedras Formation and 334 km3 Grés Silves Formation.