Integrated Core Description and Depositional Environment for Regional Saline Aquifer CO₂ Storage Hub Development

The development of hydrocarbon (HC) fields with high CO₂ content requires Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) due to the prohibition of CO₂ venting in Malaysia (Figure 1). Mitigating CO₂ emissions is also important for addressing climate change concerns. There are several potential offshore storage sites in offshore Peninsular Malaysia (PM), such as depleted fields and saline aquifers. The currently identified depleted fields are insufficient to provide the required storage capacity volume for current development plan of HC fields with high CO₂ content, and eventually for wider-scale storage of CO₂. Therefore, saline aquifers are required to provide additional storage sites. Identifying the most suitable regional saline aquifer for carbon capture and storage (CCS) presents many challenges due to the limited understanding of their distribution and characteristics within the basin. The primary challenge, compared to hydrocarbon fields, lies in ensuring containment and sealing effectiveness, as hydrocarbon fields have already demonstrated entrapment within their structures. To mitigate the risks and uncertainties in identifying regional saline aquifers, it is crucial to analyze the seals and assess the suitability of potential storage sites. This includes evaluating the distribution, continuity, and properties of the storage reservoirs, as well as the distribution, continuity, integrity, and effectiveness of the seals. The primary goal of this project is to focus on the core description, facies grouping, depositional environment and the evaluation of storage and seal for potential storage site in the Malay Basin. This involves a comprehensive sedimentary analysis of seals and storage intervals through integrated core sedimentological descriptions, facies analysis, depositional of environment interpretation, and evaluations of well logs and properties such as thickness, volume of clay (Vclay) and porosity. This will contribute to the mapping and continuity of seals and storage intervals to determine their regional distribution and thickness. Evaluating these properties will be critical in determining the seal integrity and effectiveness in containing injected CO₂ within the storage intervals beneath the seals.