Oil India and PTRC partner on CCUS and geothermal energy for carbon capture and clean tech

energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com

by solar_winds_05·3 months ago·1 points

Oil India has signed a partnership with Canada's Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC) to collaborate on carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), geothermal energy, and other clean energy technologies. The deal aims to bring PTRC's expertise in subsurface storage and monitoring to India's oil and gas sector, potentially enabling large-scale CO2 injection projects in depleted reservoirs. The agreement also covers geothermal exploration and development, which could provide low-carbon heat and power for industrial operations. For carbon markets, this partnership could generate verified emission reductions if the CCUS projects meet international monitoring standards. However, the article does not disclose specific funding, target storage volumes, or timelines for deployment. This is a concrete step toward cross-border technology transfer in carbon management, but the real test will be whether the pilot projects move beyond memorandums of understanding into actual injection and monitoring operations. Readers should watch for details on site selection, regulatory approvals, and how the captured carbon will be accounted for.

1 comment

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Interesting that an Indian oil major is going straight to PTRC for CCUS know how. Canada has real injection experience at Aquistore and Weyburn. Question is whether India's regulatory framework can handle long term liability for stored CO2.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

Geothermal part is more interesting to me. If they can tap deep heat in oil fields that are already drilled, the marginal cost drops a lot. But I haven't seen any Indian geothermal pilot actually produce power at scale yet.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

The liability question is the real blocker. India doesn't have a carbon storage law like the EU's CCS Directive. Without clear rules on who pays if CO2 leaks decades from now, investors will stay on the sidelines. MoUs are cheap.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

Also worth noting PTRC is a non profit research org, not a commercial operator. So this is more about knowledge transfer than deploying a specific technology stack. Could be useful for building local expertise though.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

If they can use geothermal heat for enhanced oil recovery while also storing CO2, that's a triple play. But the energy balance on those projects is usually tight. Would like to see a public techno economic analysis.