Suitability of basins in Russia for aquifer CO 2 storage: evaluation strategy

A preliminary conceptual approach is suggested to assess the suitability of onshore deep saline aquifers in major sedimentary basins of Russia for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). The assessment is based on several regional and subregional criteria developed especially concerning the existing international and national legislation on the disposal of CO 2 , plant effluents, and toxic wastes, and to the construction and monitoring of underground gas storage sites. Potential long-term storage of CO 2 in deep saline aquifers is evaluated according to hydrogeological, hydrodynamic, tectonic, lithological, geothermal, and environmental conditions. Russia’s sedimentary basins and aquifers are classified as highly, moderately, poorly suitable, or unsuitable for CO 2 disposal. As a result, 42 highly suitable, 17 moderately suitable, and 32 poorly suitable aquifers have been identified on the regional scale. The best prospects are expected from basins in the East European, East Siberian, and West Siberian hydrogeological provinces. The artesian basins of Azov-Kuban, East-Fore-Caucasus, Ergen, East-Donets, Kama-Vyatka, and Emben in the East European province, the Pechora basin in the Pechora-Barents Sea plate, and the Taz-Pur and Irtysh-Ob basins in West Siberia show high suitability for CCS projects. East Siberia has the Pyasina-Yenisei and Balakhna basins in the Arctic sector and the Putorana, Lower Tunguska, Katanga, and Angara basins farther in the south. This is the case of the Moscow artesian basin where 16 traps have been revealed, with a primary storage capacity of 150.6 Gt for dissolved CO 2 and 13.4 Gt for supercritical CO 2 .