AVAILABILITY OF DEPLETED OIL AND GAS-RESERVOIRS FOR DISPOSAL OF CARBON-DIOXIDE IN THE UNITED-STATES

Information on the location and size of depleted oil and natural gas reservoirs in the United States was extracted from a Petroleum Information, Inc., database. The locations of and CO2 emissions from power plants were also determined. The total volume available for disposal of carbon dioxide (CO2) is small compared to annual CO2 emissions. If all of the nation's power plant CO2 emissions were to be injected into depleted reservoirs, the reservoirs would be filled in about 1.5 years. Over half of the CO2 is emitted east of the Mississippi River, and most of the potential disposal sites are west of the Mississippi, thus creating additional problems. The years remaining before individual producing reservoirs will be exhausted and available for disposal is an important factor in evaluating the attractiveness and cost of this disposal option.