Multicriteria Decision Methodology to Select Suitable Areas for Storing Co₂

Abstract

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology is seen as an effective technique to decrease significant amounts of CO 2 from stationary sources. Many efforts are being put towards developing new techniques to capture CO 2 from industrial emitters. However, it is necessary to store CO 2 in a safe manner. Techniques applied to develop a suitable emplacement are well known, since these are similar to that for oil or gas explorations. Nonetheless, successful site selection (screen phase) will decrease the inherent risk in the geological exploration (assessment and select phase). In this process, many criteria should be taken into consideration, including technical and socio-economical aspects. For this purpose, different mathematical algorithms have been developed to solve multicriteria problems and to help the decision-makers. This article describes a methodology for the selection of site areas or structures for storing CO 2 based on a multicriteria algorithm, which will rank the areas under consideration, in order to select the most suitable or promising emplacement.