Creating Core Messages:
What Happens When CO2 is Stored
Underground?
Norm Sacuta, Communications Manager, PTRC
Kirsty Anderson, Principal Manager Public Engagement,
Global CCS Institute
International Workshop on Public Education, Training
and Community Outreach for CCUS
Richland College July 30, 2014
IEAGHG Weyburn-Midale CO2 Monitoring
& Storage Project (WMP) 2000 to 2012
Commercial EOR operations in
Weyburn and Midale oilfields
utilise anthropogenic CO2
Over 25Mt of CO2 injected and
stored since 2000
WMP has used these sites to
study technical aspects of CO2
geological storage
Best Practices Manual
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Characterization
Performance Predictions
Geochemical Monitoring
Geophysical Monitoring
Performance Validation
Well Integrity
Risk Assessment
Community Outreach
Joint Global CCS Institute – PTRC Project
“Creating Core Messages”
Initial Questions:
• What do the Weyburn results tell us about the
main questions often raised by the general
public about CCS?
• Is there a way of taking Weyburn knowledge
and experience and making it understandable
and engaging for the general public and
useful to other CCS project developers?
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Phase change
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well heads
aquifer
TLA’s
supercritical
CO2 fate
corrosion
Structural trapping
Joint Global CCS Institute – PTRC Project
“Creating Core Messages”: Process
Initial Process:
• Review 2009 stakeholder results from the
Weyburn Project
• Identify key questions raised by Weyburn
Community
• Literature, project and web review to
identify other key questions
• 48 most often raised questions identified
“Creating Core Messages”: Focus Groups
September 24–25, 2013
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Document Effectiveness
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Information Needs Met
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Trusted Information Sources
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Intuitive Format
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Appropriate Language
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Illustration & Design
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Material Recall
“Creating Core Messages”: Focus Groups
September 24–25, 2013
Negative Reactions to Booklet: more
information needed
• Information source – who does WMP
represent, who is providing this information?
• What if’s – of operations impacting personal
safety and the environment
• Long term security of storage
Peer Review of Focus Group Results and
Document, November 14, 2013
Communications experts from North
America and Europe were invited to take
part in a workshop to review the focus
group research findings.
The intent of the workshop was to share
learnings from the focus groups and to
review the document itself.
•Kirsty Anderson (GCCSI)
•Richard Fink (Empresa Communications)
•Chris Smith (ENGO Network)
•Lori Gauvreau (Schlumberger)
•Dan Daly (EERC/PCOR)
•Jonathan Tremblay (SaskPower)
•Sallie Greenberg (Decatur/Illinois
Geological Survey)
•Aleana Young (PTRC, Aquistore)
•Duncan Kenyon (Pembina Institute)
•Twila Walkeden (Cenovus)
•Jolene Goulden (PTRC)
Expert Review Recommendations
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More clearly spell out what WMP has to say that is of value.
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Clearer definition of Weyburn as an EOR project required.
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Document viewed as a source book for use by communicators on other projects
and policy makers.
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Parts of the EOR operations (such as capture in Beulah, transport, and injection)
that were not part of the research should perhaps be excised entirely from the
document.
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Improvement and consistency in images across document.
Revision
Order and structure simplified:
1.
Economics and Regulation
removed as a category; question
and answers re-ordered
2.
Some Q & A removed
3.
Clearly defining Weyburn as EOR,
but identifying that measurement
and monitoring of stored CO2 is
applicable to CCS
From four sections:
1. The Basics: CO2
2. Carbon Capture and Storage
3. CCS in your Community
4. CCS: Economics and Regulations
To three:
1. The Basics
2. What Happens to CO2
Underground?
3. What Ifs? The Most Common
Questions About CCS
Reworked Questions, Answers and Images
WHAT HAPPENS TO CO2 UNDERGROUND?
 PDF, online version and limited printed
copies available on request
 Short, simple, research-supported answers
to 46 of the most commonly asked
questions about CCS, CO2 monitoring and
storage
 Answers are based on the 12-years of
research findings and experiences of the
IEAGHG Weyburn-Midale CO2 Monitoring
and Storage Project
PTRC for the Global CCS Institute:
Sacuta, Norm. What Happens to CO2 Underground?, Feb 2014,
Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute Limited, Melbourne.
www.globalccsinstitute.com/publications/what-happens-whenco2-stored-underground-qa-ieaghg-weyburn-midale-co2monitoring-and
 The Q&A document was tested with two
community reference groups and peer
reviewed by a panel of public engagement
experts
 A summary of the focus group and expert
panel results are also available to
download.
WHAT HAPPENS TO CO2 UNDERGROUND?
Introduction
What is the Weyburn-Midale Project (WMP)?
The basics: carbon dioxide (CO2)
Carbon capture and storage (CCS)
What happens to CO2 underground?
16. How do you store CO2 and how do you decide where CO2 can
be stored?
17. How much CO2 can be stored at different locations?
18. How deep do you store CO2?
19. What do you mean by 'permanent storage' of CO2?
20. Does CO2 occur naturally underground, like water, oil and gas?
21. How does CO2 move underground?
22. How do you confirm the CO2 stays within the formation?
23. How does an underground storage site change when CO2 is
injected?
24. How do you monitor the CO2 once it is underground?
25. How do you know where the CO2 will go?
26. How do you know if CO2 has leaked?
27. Does CO2 injection increase pressure in oil reservoirs?
28. How long will you need to monitor the CO2 once it is
underground?
29. Are there regulations around CO2 storage?
What ifs? the most common questions about CCS
30. How do you know CO2 storage is safe?
31. Will drinking water be affected by CO2 storage?
32. Will topsoil be affected by CO2 storage?
33. Will fish or wildlife be affected by CO2 storage?
34. Will land values be affected by CO2 storage?
35. What are faults and fractures?
36. Could injecting CO2 underground cause an earthquake?
37. What if there is an earthquake near a CO2 storage site?
38. What are wellbores and how do you maintain them?
39. How do you know that CO2 pipelines are safe?
40. What if there is a leak of CO2 from a pipeline?
41. How much noise and disruption do storage projects cause?
42. How visible is a CO2 storage facility?
43. If I own the mineral rights beneath my land, will I be paid for
CO2 storage?
44. What if there is a leak of CO2 underground?
45. What if CO2 leaks 100 or 1000 years from now?
46. If there is a leak, who will be responsible for fixing it?
Conclusion
Questions?
www.globalccsinstitute.com
kirsty.anderson@globalccsinstitute.com
http://ptrc.ca
norm.sacuta@ptrc.ca