Joint-venture (JV) partners Eni and Italian grid operator Snam have begun CO2 injection to kick off Phase 1 of the Ravenna Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project in the Adriatic Sea, the companies announced.
An estimated 25,000 mtpa of carbon emissions will initially be captured from Eni’s natural gas treatment plant in Casalborsetti, a beach town north of the city of Ravenna on Italy’s east coast. Converted gas pipelines will transport the CO2 for injection and storage at 3000-m depth in the depleted Porto Corsini Mare Ovest gas field.
Project operator Eni said it has already reduced chimney emissions from Casalborsetti by up to 96%, making Ravenna CCS the world’s first industrial-scale project to reach such capture efficiency levels. The project is also fully powered by electricity from renewable sources.
“We are using our depleted fields, existing infrastructure, and technical expertise in reinjection techniques to offer a very competitive service … that reduces emissions from energy-intensive industries whose activities cannot be electrified,” Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi said in a news release issued on 3 September.
“From renewables to biofuels, from CCS to sustainable chemistry, we are engaged in providing our clients with a variety of solutions, with a constant focus on economic competitiveness,” he added.
Snam CEO Stefano Venier noted that “… the Ravenna CCS project is an integral part of our strategic plan … we leverage our long-standing expertise in the transport and storage of molecules, with a specific focus on the Po Valley region.”
Through its JV with Eni, Snam also participates in similar projects with its associates in France, Greece, and the UK that could provide synergies for Ravenna (Fig. 1).
Ravenna Could Provide 30% of the EU’s Target for CSS Capacity
Ravenna Phase 2 envisions storage of up to 4 mpta of CO2 per year by 2030, in line with goals set by Italy’s Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan.
That, however, could grow to 16 mpta after 2030 given the total storage capacity of depleted gas fields in the Adriatic, turning Ravenna into an Italian hub for decarbonization of energy-intensive and hard-to-abate industries such as cement factories, steelworks, refineries, chemical plants, and paper, glass, and ceramic industries, Eni and Snam reported.
If Ravenna were to reach 16 mpta, it would satisfy 30% of the EU’s goal of developing storage capacity for at least 50 mtpa of CO2 storage by 2030.
Eni and Snam are also conducting research and development studies involving industry, research centers, and universities in the Emilia Romagna area for a possible future reuse of the captured CO2 as an option to storage.
