Laying CO2 to rest

The end of August saw a groundbreaking move for South Africa’s climate strategy. The Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, officially unveiled the country’s first pilot Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) research site in Leandra, Mpumalanga.

This milestone follows a successful study of the area’s geology, including drilling a deep borehole at the Goedehoop site. The results confirmed that the site is suitable for safely storing carbon dioxide (CO₂) long-term. This research site is a crucial step towards using CCUS technology to reduce CO₂ emissions.

The journey began in the mid-2000s when the potential for geological CO₂ storage was first identified. In 2004, the then Department of Minerals and Energy, in collaboration with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), started exploring whether CCUS technology could work in the country. Their research, including a detailed map of potential storage sites, showed promise on land and offshore.

Since 2021, the Council for Geoscience (CGS) has led this pilot project, searching for the right places to store CO₂. Mosa Mabuza, CEO of CGS, celebrated this achievement: “With support from the South African government and the World Bank, CGS has made significant progress, including the completion of a comprehensive geological characterisation and feasibility study for the pilot injection plant. These findings reveal the site’s capacity to store up to 34 gigatonnes of CO₂, paving the way for Phase 2, which will focus on design, construction, and the injection phase.”

Mantashe emphasised how important this research site is for South Africa, which is amongst the top 15 largest emitters of CO₂ worldwide due to its reliance on fossil fuels. “South Africa is responsible for approximately 500 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually, largely from coal combustion. This initiative is a critical step towards reducing our carbon footprint,” he stated. “We urge all industry stakeholders to collaborate with us, providing the necessary financial and technical support to ensure the success of CCUS technology in South Africa.”