The carbon capture and storage (CCS) method will cover activities that capture and store greenhouse gas emissions in secure geological formations. CCS was also identified as a priority technology in the Low Emissions Technology Statement as large-scale deployment of CCS will underpin new low emissions industries (including hydrogen) and provide a potential decarbonisation pathway for other industries.
Method development plan
| Development stage | Status | Milestones |
|---|
| Planning and scoping | Complete | - Ministerial method priority announced quarter 4 2020.
- Initial method scoping and planning completed in quarter 4 2020.
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| Develop draft method | In progress | - Initial co-design workshop held quarter 4 2020.
- Co-design process continues during quarters 1 and 2 2021.
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| Technical and expert consultation | Pending | - Technical review scheduled quarters 1 and 2 2021.
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| ERAC consideration | Pending | - ERAC consideration scheduled quarter 2 2021.
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| Public consultation | Pending | - Public consultation scheduled quarter 2 2021.
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| Refinement and draft finalisation | Pending | - Refinement and draft finalisation during quarter 3 2021.
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| ERAC approval | Pending | - ERAC review scheduled quarter 3 2021.
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| Minister approval | Pending | - Method finalised by quarter 3 2021.
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Issues Register
| Issue | Response |
|---|
Whether exiting regulatory and approval regimes are sufficient to ensure integrity of CO2 storage and the resulting abatement.
| The CER will undertake an assessment of Commonwealth, state and territory regulatory frameworks (including monitoring and reporting frameworks) to determine whether those frameworks are sufficiently robust to ensure storage integrity. This will be supported by continued engagement with stakeholders on the frameworks. |
| Determining the appropriate length of a crediting period for CCS projects. | The CER will consider evidence of the scale of capital investment for CCS projects, other economic costs and benefits and how CCS projects meet the ERF's requirements for additionality under the Offsets Integrity Standards i.e. for how long will CCS be an activity that results in carbon abatement that is unlikely to occur in the ordinary course of events. |