The large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, based in the Northern Territory, is progressing into the preliminary front-end engineering design (pre-FEED) stage, following positive appraisal results.
The Bonaparte CCS Joint Venture between INPEX (53 per cent, Operator), TotalEnergies (26 per cent) and Woodside (21 per cent) was formed in 2022 to appraise the awarded greenhouse gas storage assessment acreage in the Bonaparte Basin (title G-7-AP).
INPEX said the decision to progress the project into pre-FEED follows the successful completion of both the selection of engineering concept and a comprehensive appraisal program, which included approximately 1800km2 of new three-dimensional seismic surveying and two carbon dioxide (CO2) storage appraisal wells.
The appraisal program confirmed the presence of a high-quality saline aquifer reservoir in the Bonaparte Basin together with thick sealing formations considered suitable for safe and permanent long-term carbon storage.
Tetsu Murayama, INPEX Managing Director and Country Chair Australia, said achieving the Bonaparte CCS pre-FEED milestone is an important step towards a lower carbon future.
“The Bonaparte CCS appraisal results are outstanding and have exceeded our expectations. The G-7-AP acreage is proving up to be one of the most promising CO2 storage sites globally.
“Bonaparte CCS Joint Venture intends to transport and store CO2 safely and permanently offshore northern Australia in the Bonaparte Basin, which has a potential carbon storage capacity of more than 10Mt per annum, with Ichthys Joint Venture expected to be the anchor customer.
“With a plan to commence CO2 injection around 2030, the proposed Bonaparte CCS project could substantially contribute to decarbonising northern Australia and potentially the wider Indo-Pacific region,” Murayama said.
The Bonaparte CCS Assessment Joint Venture is now conducting detailed analysis of the reservoir appraisal data, to support a Declaration of Identified GHG Storage Formation application in advance of obtaining a greenhouse gas injection licence.
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