CO2 Storage in the Big Apple

New York State’s most promising rock formations for purposes of CO2 storage are saline formations, which are deep, porous rocks containing very salty water (often six times saltier than seawater) and far too salty to drink. 

It is difficult to estimate the amount of CO2 that a formation could hold. It requires extensive geological research and modeling.  These rocks are deep enough and are the right type for CO2 storage, but much more detailed geological research is needed. Gas and Oil Fields CO2 could also be stored in mature natural gas and oil fields that are reaching or have reached the end of their productive life. Injecting CO2 into these reservoirs could push out more gas or oil that would otherwise remain underground. This process is called enhanced oil (or gas) recovery (EOR/EGR). In addition to storing CO2, EOR and EGR result in an economic gain. The southwestern portion of New York State contains numerous gas fields where EGR could be practical. (The few oil fields that exist in New York are too few and too shallow for EOR to be practical for large-scale storage.)

Shale Sequestration Sometimes natural gas is produced from a certain type of rock called organic shale. Injecting CO2 into these shales may enhance any existing gas production (another form of EGR), while also storing CO2. This process is still in the early stages of research, but if proven to work, a large area of New York State could be opened up to CO2 storage in shales.