More than 1,000 delegates from over 40 countries will gather in Perth this week for the 18th Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies Conference (GHGT-18), the world’s leading forum for carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS).
The four-day conference will bring together leading researchers, industry representatives, project developers, engineers, policymakers and regulators to explore the latest research, innovation and real-world progress in CCUS.
GHGT-18 will highlight how development of CCUS technologies over the past 25 years are currently delivering emissions reductions at scale, alongside the research, innovation and investment driving the next generation of projects and the scale-up needed to meet global climate goals.
The conference will also showcase Australia’s growing role in advancing CCUS, from major operating projects such as Gorgon in Western Australia and Moomba in South Australia to emerging projects and world-class research and innovation.
Hosted in Perth, at the heart of one of the world’s leading energy and resources regions, GHGT-18 will provide an important platform to strengthen international partnerships, share expertise and help advance the next generation of CCUS projects.
The conference is organised by IEAGHG and co-hosted by Australian Energy Producers, CO2CRC, CSIRO and Geoscience Australia.
IEAGHG Director Tim Dixon said:
“We founded GHGT when carbon capture and storage was a nascent technology. Today it is a global industry, and Western Australia is helping to shape what comes next.
“More than 1,000 experts from 41 countries are meeting in Perth. That is the global carbon capture and storage community, coming together in one room.
“The question is no longer whether carbon capture and storage works, but how quickly we can scale it up. The ideas and partnerships formed in Perth this week will shape projects around the world.
“For one week, Perth is the centre of the global CCUS community. Western Australia has the geology, the skills and the industry to make carbon storage work, and the world is here to see it.”
Australian Energy Producers Chief Executive Samantha McCulloch said:
“Australia is at the forefront of CCUS, with world-class geological storage resources and deep expertise across our energy, resources and research sectors.
“Projects such as Gorgon and Moomba demonstrate that CCUS is not an abstract concept, it is an advanced technology operating in Australia today and reducing emissions at scale.
“GHGT-18 is an exciting opportunity to showcase what Australia is already achieving while bringing together the expertise and partnerships needed to accelerate the next wave of projects.”
CO2CRC CEO Dr Matthias Raab said:
“A tonne of CO₂ stored is only worth as much as our ability to prove it. As CCS moves offshore and across borders, and stored carbon becomes a tradable credit, measuring storage is becoming as important as storage itself.
“For almost twenty years, researchers from around the world have used the Otway International Test Centre (OITC) to advance that science, and the tools they developed are now relevant well beyond CCS, to hydrogen storage and geothermal energy.
“None of us will solve the next set of challenges alone. We look forward to working with colleagues at GHGT-18 to build the partnerships, and the technologies, the next generation of projects will need.”
CSIRO Energy Director Dr Dietmar Tourbier said:
“CSIRO’s is proud to be a co-convenor of GHGT-18. Innovative research is pivotal to Australia’s position as a global leader in CCUS, reducing technical and commercial risk for industry, strengthening confidence among regulators and investors, and expanding international partnerships.”
“CSIRO’s impact-focused approach to research and development demonstrates that building Australia’s energy future – and its economy – depends as much on collaboration as it does on the technologies themselves.”
Geoscience Australia Chief Executive Officer Melissa Harris said:
“We know we need the best possible science to guide us to a clean energy future, and the best science happens through strong collaboration.
“The Australian Government is supporting Australia’s transition to net zero through government funded precompetitive geoscience being delivered by Geoscience Australia. The Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity initiative is identifying underground geological storage solutions in Australia, including permanent storage for carbon dioxide.
“GHGT-18 provides Geoscience Australia with an opportunity to highlight the important work Australia is doing to better understand its national storage potential as part of Australia’s transition to a net zero future.”
