
China's First Offshore Carbon Storage Project Achieves Over 100 Million Cubic Meters of Carbon Sequestration
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On September 10, it was reported that China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has successfully developed China's first offshore carbon dioxide storage d...
On September 10, it was reported that China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has successfully developed China's first offshore carbon dioxide storage demonstration project, the Enping 15-1 Oilfield Carbon Storage Project, located in the Pearl River Mouth Basin. The project has cumulatively sequestered over 100 million cubic meters of carbon dioxide, equivalent to the carbon reduction achieved by planting approximately 2.2 million trees. This milestone signifies the full maturity of China's offshore carbon storage technology, equipment, and engineering applications.
The Enping 15-1 Oilfield is the first high-CO2-content oilfield in the eastern South China Sea. Conventional extraction methods would release CO2 along with crude oil, exacerbating facility corrosion and increasing carbon emissions. After four years of dedicated research, CNOOC established and operationalized China's first offshore Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project at this site, achieving an annual CO2 storage capacity exceeding 100,000 tons. In May this year, the first offshore Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) project was also launched at the same platform, establishing a new model for marine energy circulation through "CO2-enhanced oil recovery and oil-based carbon sequestration." Over the next decade, the project is expected to reinject more than 1 million tons of CO2, driving an additional crude oil production of approximately 200,000 tons.
The project has safely operated for over 15,000 hours, with a peak daily injection rate of 210,000 cubic meters. CNOOC officials stated that this model provides replicable experience for the green and low-carbon development of offshore oil and gas fields, serving as a significant step toward achieving China's "dual carbon" goals (carbon peak and carbon neutrality). Currently, CNOOC is advancing the cluster development of CCUS projects. It has initiated a 10-million-ton-level carbon capture and storage cluster project in Huizhou, Guangdong, aiming to capture CO2 from enterprises and transport it to the Pearl River Mouth Basin for storage. Additionally, CNOOC plans to establish a Northern CO2-Enhanced Oil Recovery Center and a Southern CO2-Enhanced Gas Recovery Center to further explore the potential of CCUS in improving oil and gas recovery rates.