The Plains CO2 Reduction (PCOR) partnership: Developing Carbon management options for the central interior of North America

Abstract

The Plains CO2 Reduction (PCOR) Partnership has developed a regional vision for the widespread commercial development of carbon capture and storage (CCS). This regional vision includes several key elements: 1) targeting relatively low-cost anthropogenic CO2 sources such as gasprocessing facilities; 2) employing CO2-based enhanced oil recovery (EOR) opportunities as initial sink targets whenever the economics and geology are favorable; 3) using the existing oil and gas regulatory structure and agencies for oversight; 4) developing a protocol for the establishment of geologic sequestration units that is based on the standard oil field practice of unitization; 5) developing rigorous site selection criteria that will allow for the adoption of commercially viable monitoring, verification, and accounting (MVA) procedures; 6) developing integrated risk management, MVA, and simulation project plans that continue to evolve as the project progresses and more data become available; and 7) developing the technical information needed for our commercial partners to ultimately monetize carbon credits to reduce the costs of CCS projects. The realization of this vision will result in the development of commercial CCS projects, both saline formation injection and EOR-based opportunities in the PCOR Partnership region, which has very favorable geology and socioeconomic conditions for the widespread adoption of CCS. © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.