CO2 underground sequestration and greenhouse gases mitigation in Japan

Abstract

In June 2002, Japan ratified the Kyoto Protocol, committing itself to reducing its GHG emissions between 2008 and 2012 by 6% to below the 1990 emissions level. Since then the Japanese government has paid special attention to policies and measures for GHG reductions through fuel switching, land-use and forest management, as well as improvements in energy efficiency and implementing CO2 underground storage technology. This chapter presents the CO2 gas in first order and other GHG emissions in Japan trough time and in different economic sectors, it then goes on to the different abatement methods needed to achieve the UNFCC goal of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations stabilization with a particular emphasis placed on CO2 underground storage projects. Two COâ-2 underground sequestration pilot projects are quoted in the chapter: one is the two-year enhanced coal bed methane recovery project in the Ishikari coal basin in Hokkaido, and the other is the five-year CO2 sequestration with enhanced gas recovery pilot project in an active natural gas field located at Iwanohara Base in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.