GE Announces World's Largest Carbon Capture Project

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    • GE Announces World's Largest Carbon Capture Project

      General Electric recently inked a $400 million contract with developers of an Australian natural gas field that will divert 3.3 million tons of CO2 a year. This will be done by concentrating carbon dioxide gas created from the extraction of natural gas and injecting it into an undersea geologic formation. Despite the large amount of carbon dioxide being diverted by this project, the volume only represents .01% of the carbon generated by humans. This does not count the carbon that will be abated when the relatively clean natural gas harvested here is burned in lieu of coal, which represents a total carbon savings that is the equivalent of removing two-thirds of Australian vehicles from the road.

      General Electric was awarded the contract by Chevron, which owns 50% of the development rights. ExxonMobil and Shell both own 25% as well. "I am delighted that GE Oil & Gas has been selected by Chevron to deliver this technologically complex project which will deliver cleaner energy on an unprecedented scale," said Claudi Santiago, President and CEO of GE Oil & Gas. "The contract consolidates our global LNG technology leadership position and our competitive edge in pioneering CO2 sequestration applications. Gorgon demonstrates our customer commitment to Innovation Now solutions based on safe and reliable technology transfer and our partnership role in milestone projects shaping the future of world energy."

      The United States Energy Information Administration expects oil and coal consumption to grow by 44% by 2030. The Gorgon underwater natural gas project is expected to produce "carbon-free" liquid natural gas economically through 2050. Gorgon's advantageous location in Western Australia has lead the the formation of export contracts between Australia and Asian countries like India, China, Japan, and Indonesia.

      Safety concerns associated with geologic carbon storage include leakage, earthquakes, and catastrophic containment failures. Environmentalists are opposed to the project, citing the variety of unique and endangered species that are found on Barrow Islands, the area that will house this project. The area is already home to some 430 oil wells and is Australia's biggest producer of crude.

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