A long-term strategic plan of offshore CO2 transport and storage in northern South China Sea for a low-carbon development in Guangdong province, China

Strategic regional planning is an important step towards a successful CCUS development. This paper is the first effort of proposing a development plan of offshore CO2 storage and transport for Guangdong in 2030 and 2050. We attempt to make an ambitious and achievable plan. The cluster-hub model of sources and sinks is adopted, and reuse of existing infrastructures is preferred. The targets of CCUS in Guangdong by 2050 are approximately 8% of the CCS targets that proposed for entire China (ADB, 2015), except a smaller target of 2050. The dual-phase and dual-track approach of ADB's roadmap is followed. The CCUS phase I before 2030 is characterized by the capture of high-purity CO2 from petrochemical industry and the storage of CO2 mainly related to CO2-EOR. The target of similar to 3 Mtpa CCUS in 2030 will be achieved by source-sink match A1. The phase II from 2030 to 2050 is characterized by a wider deployment of CCUS. The target of CCUS in Guangdong is similar to 35 Mtpa in 2040 and similar to 110 Mtpa in 2050, leading to the cumulative CO2 avoidance of similar to 187 MtCO(2) for 2031-2040 and similar to 730 MtCO(2) for 2041-2050. Four source-sink matches are proposed for this phase, including the storage clusters in the Pearl River Mouth Basin and in the Beibuwan Basin in the northern South China Sea. Research with sufficient lead time to support the phased CCUS development is proposed, including databases, feasibility studies, technique R&D, cost estimation, and optimized system design. We are fully aware of the large uncertainty in the years ahead, and regard this planning as a highly general and hypothetic proposal.