About 100 participants from 15 countries, including CCUS ZEN project coordinator Eirik Falck da Silva (SINTEF, Norway) took part on-site and online in the annual Baltic Carbon Forum 2023 on 12-13 October in Riga, organized by the BASRECCS network.
Dr. Alla Shogenova and Dr. Kazbulat Shogenov participated at the Forum, representing Tallinn University of Technology (Department of Geology) and Shogenergy company.
At the conference, a number of key speakers within CO2 Capture, Transport, Use and Geological Storage technology (CCUS) in the Baltic Sea region were presented (but not only):
Latvian Ministry of Climate and Energy, Latvia
SCHWENK, Latvia
Global CCS Institute, Belgium
Equinor, Norway
Wintershall Dea International GmbH, Denmark
Danish Energy Agency, Denmark
SINTEF, Norway
NORCE Energy, Norway
Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU), Sweden
Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE), Sweden
Uppsala University, Sweden
Åbo Akademi University, Finland
Silesian University of Technology, Poland
Kaunas Univerity of Technology, Lithuania
Bellona, Belgium
Oil and Gas Institute – National Research Institute, Poland
GH2 and COO of Cemvita, United States of America
Perspectives Climate Group, Germany
TalTech, Estonia
Energy Policy Group, Romania
Shogenergy, Estonia
Alla Shogenova was presented as session chair and instructor. She shared her expertise with a short course: “Developments in strategic, political and regulatory issues”
Kazbulat Shogenov presented a poster: “New synergy concept of geothermal energy recovery, CO2 and green hydrogen geological storage in the Baltic offshore structure”.
After the presentation of Aiga Grasmane (Key Note Speaker) from the Latvian Ministry of Climate and Energy about the current development status of a new Latvian law regarding CO2 storage in Latvia, Dr Shogenov expressed a readiness to share 17 years of experience in CCUS and Latvian geological structures exploration with the Latvian Ministry and help to take a correct regulatory decision for the richest CO2 storage opportunities country in the Baltic Region.
Unfortunately, nevertheless, the process of changing Latvian law was in progress during the last two years, Aiga has presented the position of the government to continue the ban on CO2 geological storage.
The audience of researchers and stakeholders was surprised after this statement and waited for actions from the main Latvian CO2 emitters – SCHWENK Latvija SIA.
The next day, the talk of Evita Gosa, Key Note Speaker, the Environmental and Legal Director and the Management Board Member of SCHWENK Latvija SIA, was absolutely revolutionary. After her speech, it was proposed to organise BASRECCS task forces “Communication & Regulatory” and prepare the BCF2023 declar
ation and send it to ministries in order to push the Baltic governments legally to raise the ban. All participants of the conference expressed a readiness to support it. The CCUS fight is just beginning and will be hard and hot. Follow us to be informed from the first hands.
See you soon at our new scientific meetings!
