Iceland: Injection of CO2 from a Second Geothermal Plant will Begin Next Year

Carbon dioxide storage through mineral carbonation (Nature.com)

a | The CarbFix method involves the dissolution of CO2 in water during injection into a basaltic reservoir. b | During the Wallula basalt pilot project, pressurized liquid CO2 was injected into basalts. 

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has a fundamental role in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement to limit anthropogenic warming to 1.5–2 °C.

The pilot phase of the CarbFix project, funded by the European Union, was undertaken in 2012 near the Hellisheiði geothermal power plant in southwest Iceland. A total of 230 tonnes of pure CO2 and a CO2–H2S gas mixture from the geothermal plant were fully dissolved in locally sourced groundwater during their injection to a depth of ~500 m into basaltic rocks.

The CarbFix project currently captures and stores ~33% of the CO2 emissions from the Hellisheiði power plant, or ~12,000 tonnes annually, with the aim to increase injection to ~90% of the CO2 from the plant before 2030. Moreover, injection of CO2 from a second geothermal plant operated in the area will begin in 2021.

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Snæbjörnsdóttir, S.Ó., Sigfússon, B., Marieni, C. et al. Carbon dioxide storage through mineral carbonation. Nat Rev Earth Environ (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-019-0011-8