An offshore geophysical monitoring survey has commenced at the first carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in Italy, which will use depleted natural gas fields in the Adriatic Sea for the storage of CO2 from industrial districts.
Bologna-based offshore survey and geoscience company Lighthouse Geo, part of Enviros Group, is carrying out the survey activities for the Ravenna CCS project, with work to continue over the coming weeks.
The project enables the development of an integrated multimodal CO2 chain, comprising an onshore pipeline network and a CO2 logistics hub located within the Ravenna industrial area, which will receive CO2 transported in liquid form by ship, rail and lorry.
The survey campaign forms part of the project’s environmental monitoring plan, contributing to the ongoing assessment of marine environmental conditions in the area.
Eni, as the operator, and Snam are developing the project in three phases. Phase 1, which started in August 2024 and is designed to capture and store up to 25,000 tons of CO2 from Eni’s natural gas treatment plant in Casalborsetti, has confirmed the high efficiency (>90%) of the capture system implemented.
Once captured, the carbon dioxide was transported through pipelines previously used for natural gas and suitably repurposed to the offshore Porto Corsini Mare Ovest platform, and is now permanently stored in the namesake depleted gas field at a depth of around 3,000 meters.
Following Phase 1, the project will proceed to Phase 2, subject to completion of the authorisation processes already underway, which aims to store up to 4 million tons of CO2 per year by 2030. From 2030 onwards, the capacity of the reservoirs, estimated at over 500 million tons in total, will allow volumes to increase to 16 or more million tons per year, depending on market demand.