Carbon capture and storage in geological formations

Kazakhstan is Central Asia's leading oil, gas and coal producer. Continued fossil fuel and coal production are reasons for growing CO₂ emissions and increasing atmospheric concentrations of this greenhouse gas (GHG). At the same time, a practical and efficient alternative will have to be found. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) could be the basis of this alternative – it could capture, neutralise and safely store massive amounts of CO₂ directly at the production site or local subsurface geological formation while keeping the reservoir rock stable. This chapter discusses the environmental feasibility and cost of CO₂ capture and the potential for CO₂ storage in Kazakhstan by comparing its approach to this issue with that of Norway. One of the possibilities is sequestration of CO₂ in underground geological formations. In Kazakhstan, three main types of geological formations have been considered as options for the geological storage of CO₂: oil and gas reservoirs, deep saline formations and coal formations with no commercial interest.