South Africa’s pilot carbon capture scheme officially inaugurated

The Council for Geoscience (CGS) on Monday announced that the country’s first carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) research site had been officially inaugurated. This marked the conclusion of Phase 1 of South Africa’s pilot CCUS project. However, the inauguration of the site, at Leandra in Mpumalanga province, actually took place last week.

This step followed the completion of a successful geological characterisation study of the site. This included the drilling of a 1 800 m stratigraphic borehole. This confirmed the site’s suitability for the permanent and safe storage of CO₂.

“With support from the South African government and the World Bank, [the] CGS has made significant progress, including the completion of a comprehensive geological characterisation and feasibility study for the pilot injection plant,” reported CGS CEO Mosa Mabuza. “These findings reveal the site’s capacity to store up to 34 gigatonnes of CO₂, paving the way for Phase 2, which will focus on design, construction and the injection phase.”

Investigating CCUS is important to South Africa because the country is one of the worst CO₂ emitters in the world. This is a consequence of its heavy reliance on fossil fuels, particularly coal, to produce most of its energy.

“South Africa is responsible for approximately 500-million tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually, largely from coal combustion,” highlighted Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe, in his address at the inauguration ceremony. “This initiative is a critical step towards reducing our carbon footprint. We urge all industry stakeholders to collaborate with us, providing the necessary financial and technical support to ensure the success of CCUS technology in South Africa.”

As part of the inauguration event, the CGS signed a memorandum of understanding with the Mpumalanga provincial Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism. This provides the framework for the joint development of CCUS and related programmes.

“We have seen exceptional backing from local authorities, the Mpumalanga provincial government, and the Govan Mbeki local municipality, our host for this project,” affirmed Mabuza. “Through our Public Advocacy Programme, we have fostered a deeper understanding among South Africans of the role CCUS technology can play in reducing emissions. The [CGS] is committed to driving this initiative forward and calls for the continued support of all stakeholders to achieve our shared climate mitigation objectives.”

South Africa has been investigating the possibility of CCUS since 2004. The initial studies were carried out by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. The CGS has headed the pilot CCUS project since 2021.