The Eni/Snam joint venture has started CO2 injection activities in the reservoir in the Adriatic Sea offshore eastern Italy for Phase 1 of the Ravenna CCS project.
This is Italy’s first development for the capture, transport and permanent storage of CO₂.
Phase 1 will capture, transport and store about 25,000 metric tons/year of CO₂ emitted from Eni’s natural gas treatment plant in Casalborsetti in the municipality of Ravenna.
The CO2 is transported to the offshore Porto Corsini Mare Ovest platform through converted gas pipelines. Upon arrival, it is injected and stored at a depth of 3,000 m in the depleted Porto Corsini Mare Ovest gas field.
According to Eni, the project has already brought a reduction of more than 90% in CO₂ emissions from the Casalborsetti plant's chimney, rising to peaks of 96%.
Ravenna CCS is fully powered by electricity from renewable sources, avoiding further CO₂ emissions, the company added.
Once Phase 2 is onstream, the goal is to be able to store up to 4 MM mt/year by 2030, in line with Italy’s Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC).
The partnership will put in place all the necessary procedures to secure the permits in accordance with the regulatory framework, in collaboration with the authorities and others.
Eni estimates a potential CO2 storage capacity of the depleted gas fields in the Adriatic Sea of 16 MM mt/year. With Snam, it is also conducting R&D on possible reuse of the captured CO2, likely supported in the future by research centers and universities in the Emilia Romagna area.
For this project, Eni drew on its experience in large-scale developments to convert the depleted gas fields and parts of the existing infrastructure to permanent storage sites. Snam is responsible for the associated onshore transport, reusing existing infrastructure where possible for the transport of CO₂, also applying its experience in storage.
