The 'Survey of CO2 Storage Regulations' report looks at selected recent developments in regulations for CO2 storage projects globally - with particular emphasis on key developments, outstanding issues and gaps that might help or hinder commercial success of CCS.
It finds that regulations for CO2 storage are not consistent, with various disparities in the treatment of long-term liability and post-injection monitoring requirements. Despite this, there are some areas - such as the need for proof of financial ability to cover potential liabilities and public engagement - which are, on the whole, being approached in a similar way.
Overall growth in CCS policy confidence is reflected in the development of new regulatory frameworks - such as for tax incentives provided by the Internal Revenue Service’s 45Q provisions in the United States. Also, in the growing ambition of certain countries regarding CCS – for example the UK, which has created the CCS Council and CCUS Cost Challenge Taskforce with the aim of making CCS economically feasible.
The report looked at regulations from the USA, Canada, the EU, the UK, Netherlands, Norway, Indonesia, Japan and Australia. These included regulations for permitting and for qualifying CO2 storage projects for incentives. The focus was on CO2 storage projects relevant to oil & gas as well as other industries.
A detailed comparison was undertaken of five different regulatory frameworks that best address the key regulatory issues:
• EPA UIC Class VI Well Permits
• California LCFS
• Alberta CCS Regulatory Framework Assessment recommendations
• EU CCS Directive
• Australian Offshore Petroleum Amendment
The report can be downloaded for free, find it in the 'policies' section on the publications page.