China said on Saturday it had built the world’s first offshore oil production and storage vessel capable of capturing carbon dioxide, taking another step towards meeting its carbon emissions targets.
Advertisement
State broadcaster CCTV reported that the 330-metre (1,080ft) floating production storage and offloading unit (FPSO) would be delivered at the end of this month.
The unit, developed by state-owned Cosco Ocean Shipping Heavy Industry Company, is designed to carry carbon capture and storage equipment and has a production capacity of up to 120,000 barrels of crude oil a day.
It is unique in that it not only captures the carbon dioxide it releases, but also generates electricity from the heat of the exhaust gases, achieving the twin goals of environmental protection and energy savings.
The technology “marks an important step for China in the field of offshore carbon capture”, CCTV reported.
Advertisement
Oil and gas production releases a large amount of carbon dioxide each year. According to the International Energy Agency, the extraction, transport and processing of oil and gas produced 5.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in 2022, accounting for around 15 per cent of total global energy-related emissions.
However, it highlighted a number of measures that could help mitigate the problem, such as the use of low-emission electricity at upstream facilities and the use of carbon capture technologies.