Getting Serious with Net-Zero: Implementing Large-Scale Carbon Capture and Storage Projects in ASEAN

Abstract

As a region, the ten nations of ASEAN emitted 1.65 Gtpa CO2 in 2020 from the combustion of fossil fuels. Analyses reveal that ASEAN's renewable energy resources are low to moderate and unevenly distributed geographically. Furthermore, there are substantial sustainable issues related to hydropower and bioenergy. The current rate of addition of new renewable power capacity is too slow to allow ASEAN countries to achieve net-zero by the middle of the century. More tools, in addition to renewable energies, will be needed. It is found, however, that carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a key enabling technology to decarbonize ASEAN's fossil-fuel power and industrial plants and to produce blue hydrogen needed to decarbonize the industry sector. Furthermore, results of CO2 source-sink mapping exercises show that there is enough capacity in major sedimentary basins in ASEAN to permanently store two centuries of anthropogenic CO2 emission. Six first mover large-scale CCS projects in ASEAN with potential to mitigate up to 300 Mtpa CO2 from Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have been identified. Furthermore, the steps needed to implement these CCS projects are also discussed.

The Contribution of Carbon Capture and Storage to the Decarbonization of Coal-Fired Power Plants in Selected Asian Countries

“…Using shared facilities and CO 2 pipelines and injection facilities will reduce the cost of CCS, as will be done in the CCS projects mentioned in the last paragraph. Policies can be enacted to encourage the establishment of such CCS corridors to enable such large-scale and even cross-border CCS projects, with cost reduced by economies-of-scale. ,− …”

A Review of the Status of Fossil and Renewable Energies in Southeast Asia and Its Implications on the Decarbonization of ASEAN

“…Recently, we have proposed the use of large-scale CCS projects to decarbonize Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand [3,7,8,75]. To accelerate the implementation of CCS, we also propose establishing one or more CCS corridors in ASEAN, where CO 2 from more than one country can be shipped to a common sink for permanent storage.…”

“…By making use of economies of scale, the cost of CO 2 capture, transportation and injection can be significantly reduced. These first-of-their-kind, cross-border CCS projects will mitigate CO 2 in the order of tens of million tons per year, which will be on par with the largest CCS projects being planned in Europe [75].…”

The trends of major issues connecting climate change and the sustainable development goals

“…Of course, this also requires resource input and a suitable policy environment to incentivize and support) [70][71][72], behavioral and cultural change (to successfully achieve net-zero, it may be necessary to change public behavior and values, from dietary habits to travel methods, and attitudes towards energy use. This may involve education, policy guidance, and public participation) [73,74], and ecological restoration and protection (forests, oceans, and other natural ecosystems are important carbon sinks of the planet.…”

“…The aforementioned net zero is a mitigation strategy, while the formulation of adaptation strategies to manage and respond to climate change also requires systematic consideration. This includes disaster prevention and post-disaster recovery [66, 67], water resource management [78], adjustments to farming and livestock practices [79], urban planning and design [70,71], protection and restoration of ecosystems [72][73][74], and policy and legislation [85] among other topics. Additionally, research suggests that enhancing the ability to manage extreme weather events can reduce economic, social, and human losses, and ultimately decrease borrowing from lending institutions.…”