Carbon Sequestration: Developing an assessment of potential CO2 storage resources in Massachusetts - Final Report: Estimate of CO2 Storage Resource Potential in Massachusetts Saline Aquifers and Unmineable Coal Seams

Geologic carbon sequestration, defined as the permanent storage of CO2 in underground geologic reservoirs, is emerging as an important strategy towards mitigation of increasing accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere and associated greenhouse gas warming and climate change. These efforts have been organized nationally through programs such as the U.S. Department of Energy – Office of Fossil Energy – National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) – Carbon Sequestration Program and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) – Energy Resources Program – Health and Environment Section – Geologic CO2 Sequestration Research initiative. These organizations have partnered with a network of regional participants to evaluate CO2 storage resource potentials in geologic formations throughout the United States and Canada, through the Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships program. To date, however, CO2 storage resource potentials for geologic formations in Massachusetts have not been incorporated into any national or regional carbon sequestration initiative, nor have resources for local geologic carbon storage in Massachusetts been estimated or calculated.

During a preliminary investigation into geologic carbon sequestration potential in Massachusetts, researchers at the University of Massachusetts identified five potential candidate geologic formations for further study. These include: sandstone aquifers in the Connecticut River Valley, unmineable coal seams in southeastern Massachusetts, organic-rich shales in the Connecticut River Valley, basalts in the Connecticut River Valley, and organic-rich metamorphic rocks in the western Berkshire Hills. Through sponsorship from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, a project was developed to gain more information about these candidate formations related to their hydrogeologic characteristics and potential carbon storage resource. This information has been used to assess if some or all of these candidates meet screening criteria for geologic carbon storage and to provide data for volumetric carbon storage models as outlined by methodologies developed by the USGS and NETL. This research also has identified gaps in knowledge and information regarding key hydrogeologic characteristics for the candidate formations in Massachusetts. These data are required to determine if formations meet screening criteria and to estimate total storage resources.

Prepared for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center under Task Order 09-1