The Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) has released a new report exploring how naturally reactive rock formations, including basalts and peridotites, could significantly expand global carbon dioxide (CO2) storage capacity. Via permanent CO2 mineralization into solid carbonates, these formations could help regions without access to conventional sedimentary reservoirs advance large-scale carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) projects.
The report, Expanding CO2 Storage: The Role of CO2 Mineralizing Rocks such as Basalts and Peridotites, underscores the potential for these mineralizing rocks to complement traditional geological storage and increase the geographic diversity of viable CO2 storage sites.
In doing so, they could reduce the need for long-distance CO2 transport, which remains a key challenge and cost factor for emerging CCUS networks.
Broadening the Global CCUS Map
While sedimentary basins currently account for most global CO2 storage capacity, mineralizing rock formations offer a permanent and stable alternative that can expand the world’s storage footprint.
The OGCI report highlights successful pilot projects that demonstrate how CO2 reacts naturally with specific rock types to form stable carbonates, locking carbon away for geological timescales.
The study also examines the technical, regulatory, and permitting frameworks needed to scale this approach safely. It calls for greater collaboration between governments, industry, and research institutions to accelerate pilot programs and share best practices in monitoring and verification.
Relevant: OGCI Launches Global Tracker For CO2 Storage Licenses
This work is in line with the organization’s mission to boost the deployment of large-scale CCUS hubs capable of capturing and storing hundreds of millions of tons of CO2 annually. OGCI’s 12 member companies are currently involved in developing more than 50 CCUS hubs worldwide, with potential to capture and store up to 500 million tons of CO2 annually by 2030.
These include landmark initiatives such as Ravenna CCUS and Northern Lights in Europe, STRATOS and LaBarge in the US, and emerging projects in China, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil.
By highlighting mineralizing rocks as a new class of viable storage formations, OGCI aims to broaden the CCUS landscape and accelerate global progress toward net zero.
Read more: Paebbl Launches World’s First Continuous CO2 Mineralization Demo Plant
