Eni and Snam, two Italian energy giants, have taken a significant step towards reducing carbon emissions in Italy. They’ve launched the country’s first carbon capture, transport, and storage (CCS) project. This technology captures CO2 from industrial processes and stores it underground, helping to mitigate climate change.
The project, located near Ravenna, Italy, involves capturing CO2 from Eni’s natural gas treatment plant. This CO2 is then transported through converted gas pipelines to an offshore platform, where it’s injected into a depleted gas reservoir at a depth of 3,000 meters. To power the project, Eni and Snam are using renewable energy sources.
The project is already making a significant impact. It has reduced CO2 emissions from Eni’s plant by over 90%, and in some cases, by as much as 96%. This demonstrates the effectiveness of CCS technology in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
However, CCS technology is not without its critics. Some argue that it prolongs the use of fossil fuels and may not be commercially viable. Despite these concerns, the International Energy Agency believes that CCS can play a crucial role in achieving global climate goals.
The Ravenna project has the potential to become a hub for the decarbonization of energy-intensive industries in Italy and Europe. By offering its services to companies in sectors such as ceramics, glass, and steel, the project can help these industries reduce their carbon footprint.
Eni and Snam aim to expand the project’s capacity to store up to 4 million tons of CO2 per year by 2030.
Reference- Reuters Article, Scientific American, Interesting Engineering, Vox, BBC