Sasol, Eskom, PetroSA, Anglo American and the South African National Energy Research Institute (Saneri) are to develop a so-called storage atlas that would identify potential sites for the geological storage of carbon dioxide in South Africa.
Worldwide, storage reservoirs are commonly associated with the sedimentary basins in which oil and gas occur.
South Africa, unfortunately, lacks natural world class storage reservoirs, but the onshore central basin of the Karoo Supergroup - the largest stratigraphic unit in Southern Africa with its substantial sedimentary formations - may offer storage opportunities.
Offshore sedimentary rocks along the coastline also hold some potential for storage.
The Council for Geoscience (CGS) and the Petroleum Agency SA will publish the initial assessment of storage potential in the atlas by April 2010.
It will illustrate the distribution and ranking of potential geological carbon dioxide storage reservoirs in South Africa, including estimated storage capacities, the main emission sources, location of industrial hubs, transportation pipelines and other factors that may have a bearing on storage feasibility.
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