Eni and Snam start the CO2 injection ball rolling at Italy’s first carbon capture and storage project

Italy’s oil and gas giant Eni and energy infrastructure operator Snam have got down to the CO2 injection business at the first carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in Italy, which comes with a facility fully powered by electricity from renewable sources, avoiding further CO2 emissions. The CO2 storage facility off the coast of Ravenna will use depleted gas fields to contain carbon emissions from the industrial districts.

The beginning of CO2 injection activities in the reservoir comes six months after Snam launched a market test on hydrogen demand in Italy and gathered non-binding expressions of interest for the transport and storage of CO2 as part of Phase 1 of the Ravenna carbon capture and storage project for which the firm signed an agreement to set up a joint venture with Eni on December 19, 2022.

This CCS project has been designed to support industrial decarbonization as Italy’s first CO2 capture, transport, and permanent storage project created for environmental purposes, which is expected to play a role in reaching the goal set by the European Union (EU) to develop at least 50 million tonnes per year of CO2 storage capacity by 2030.

According to Eni, Phase 1 of the Ravenna CCS project will capture, transport, and store CO2 emissions from its renewable-powered natural gas treatment plant in Casalborsetti, within the municipality of Ravenna, estimated at approximately 25,000 tonnes per year.

Commenting on the start-up of the CO2 injection phase, Claudio Descalzi, CEO of Eni, highlighted: “A project of great significance for decarbonisation has now become an industrial reality. The capture and storage of CO₂ is an effective, safe – and now available – means to reduce emissions from energy-intensive industries whose activities cannot be electrified.

“We are using our depleted fields, existing infrastructure, and technical expertise in reinjection techniques to offer a very competitive service, which is receiving tremendous interest. We are tackling the complexity of the energy transition with real substance and determination, increasing and enhancing the solutions available to us to decarbonise our activities as well as various areas of economic and industrial systems.”

Based on the development plan, the carbon dioxide, after being captured, will be transported to the offshore Porto Corsini Mare Ovest platform through reconverted gas pipelines. The CO2 will then be injected and stored at a 3,000-meter depth in the depleted Porto Corsini Mare Ovest gas field.

Eni and Snam underlined that the project is already delivering over 90% of CO2 emissions cuts from the Casalborsetti plant’s chimney, rising to peaks of 96%, which is said to be a notable achievement given the conditions of a carbon concentration of less than 3% and the low level of atmospheric pressure making achieving success more challenging.

Stefano Venier, Snam’s CEO, underlined: “The commitment to the Ravenna CCS project is an integral part of our strategic plan and is aligned with our intention to position ourselves as a multi-molecule operator in order to enable a fair and balanced energy transition, in which offering even the most energy-intensive players the opportunity to undertake decarbonisation paths that preserve their competitiveness.

“To do so, we leverage our long-standing expertise in the transport and storage of molecules, with a specific focus on the Po Valley region, where we already have deep roots thanks to strategic assets that have supported the country’s economic and social development for decades.”

With Phase 2, Eni and Snam anticipate that the industrial-scale development project will be able to store up to 4 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2030, in line with the goals defined by Italy’s Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC). To this end, the JV will initiate all the necessary procedures to obtain the permits for the next stage of the Ravenna CCS project.

Given the total storage capacity of the depleted gas fields of the Adriatic Sea, and based on market demand, the duo estimates that the volumes of CO2 captured and stored underground could reach 16 million tonnes per year.

As a result, they see the Ravenna project as a candidate to become the Italian hub for the decarbonization of energy-intensive and hard-to-abate industries, representing a fundamental contribution to achieving climate goals and carbon neutrality by 2050.

With CCS being considered essential to achieving the decarbonization and climate neutrality objectives set in the 2015 Paris Agreement, Eni and Snam are conducting research and development studies for a potential future reuse of the captured CO2.

“Moreover, this joint venture with Eni follows the same trajectory as similar projects of European interest in which we participate through our associates in France, Greece and the United Kingdom, and from which we expect to be able to draw synergies that will promote the success of Ravenna CCS,” emphasized Venier.

Recently, Snam confirmed activities related to a floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) for its Ravenna liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal off the coast of Northern Italy were progressing on schedule for the entry into operation to be achieved in the first quarter of 2025.