Carbon Capture and Storage: A Distraction from Real Climate Solutions

In this newsletter, we delve into why CCS is far from the game-changer it’s marketed to be – and why the continued focus on this technology may actually delay meaningful progress in reducing global emissions.?

As the global push to tackle climate change intensifies, carbon capture and storage (#CCS) has emerged as a solution enthusiastically touted by the fossil fuel industry. Recently, Santos celebrated the milestone of capturing and storing 340,000 tonnes of CO2-equivalent at its Moomba CCS project in South Australia. While this achievement has garnered significant media attention, Kevin Morrison , an energy analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) , argues that CCS should not be considered a real #climate solution. Instead, it serves as a distraction from the necessary transition to clean energy and comprehensive climate action.?

Santos’ Moomba CCS Project: A Small Drop in a Huge Ocean?

Santos recently announced that its Moomba Carbon Capture and Storage project had successfully stored 340,000 tonnes of CO2 – a number the company has proudly promoted as a significant achievement in decarbonising its gas operations. But in the context of Australia’s total annual emissions, which amount to around 500 million tonnes, this capture is negligible. Santos’s claims about CCS being the key to a low-carbon future are deeply misleading.?

While Santos and the South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas celebrate Moomba’s progress, Kevin Morrison highlights that this project, and CCS in general, is far from a climate solution. According to Morrison, CCS has been around for over 50 years, yet its contribution to emission reductions has been minuscule – only capturing about 10 million tonnes of CO2 per year globally. This is a tiny fraction of the emissions produced, and it does not address the scale of the climate challenge we face.?

In a featured article on ABC News Kevin Morrison bluntly states that CCS is “hardly even a drop in the ocean” in terms of real emissions reductions.??

Claims that the Moomba project is “decarbonising the equivalent of 700,000 cars” may sound impressive at first glance, but the reality is that this is only a small fraction of the emissions Australia emits every year. Even if the Moomba project were to scale up to the potential 20 million tonnes per year that Santos anticipates, it would still contribute only a tiny amount toward the 500 million tonnes of annual emissions Australia generates.?

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The Real Issue: CCS Isn’t Scalable or Effective?

CCS has significant limitations as a climate strategy. For one, it is an energy-intensive process, requiring substantial resources to capture, transport and store CO2. In many cases, this can lead to additional emissions from the energy used in the CCS process itself.

Additionally, CCS projects often only capture a small portion of the emissions generated by fossil fuel extraction, which means the vast majority of emissions continue to enter the atmosphere.?

More concerning is the fact that, despite being implemented for decades, CCS has failed to scale in a way that would significantly reduce global emissions. The oil and gas sector has promoted CCS as the solution to climate change, but as Kevin Morrison points out, it’s become clear that the technology is insufficient. ?

In interviews with Sky News and ABC News, Kevin Morrison warns that CCS should not be the central focus of Australia’s climate policy. The industry’s continued focus on CCS allows companies to avoid taking real action to transition to clean, renewable energy sources. Instead of investing in fossil fuel-based technologies like CCS, Morrison argues that Australia should prioritise renewable energy, energy efficiency and other changes that will genuinely reduce emissions in the long term.?

The Bottom Line: Focus on Real Climate Solutions?

While CCS technology may have some niche applications in reducing emissions from specific industries, it should not be viewed as a primary solution to the climate crisis. After over 50 years of development, CCS remains inefficient, costly and insufficient to address the scale of global emissions. The fossil fuel industry’s continued focus on CCS allows them to delay the necessary shift to clean energy and sustainable practices.?

We need to accelerate the transition to renewables – #wind, #solar and #energy storage technologies – and invest in a future that is free from fossil fuel dependency. CCS, despite its advocates’ claims, is not the answer. It is, at best, a short-term stopgap, and at worst, a diversion that allows the fossil fuel industry to continue its harmful operations while giving the appearance of environmental responsibility.?

For deeper insights into Santos’s Moomba project and why CCS is not a climate solution, check out the full coverage from Kevin Morrison in his interviews with Sky News and ABC News, as well as the article from ABC News.?

#ClimateChange #CarbonCapture #CCS #Sustainability #EnergyTransition #FossilFuel #RenewableEnergy #IEEFA #EmissionsReduction #ClimateAction?

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Follow Kevin Morrison, Energy Finance Analyst, IEEFA Australia on LinkedIn. Kevin specialises in the Australian gas markets, is a carbon capture and storage skeptic, and deeply analyses the opportunities and barriers for phasing out from gas.?

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