In order for Switzerland to reach its 2050 net-zero target, it is necessary to get a detailed understanding of all decarbonization options as soon as possible – including technical feasibility, costs, financing mechanisms, risks, and required regulations.

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Previous projects, as well as publications by the Swiss authorities (e.g. Energieperspektiven 2050+) have shown that CCS will play a central role in the decarbonization process. As such, the technology is already available and its feasibility for a first-of-a-kind application has been tested – but a number of open questions surrounding scale-up still remain.

 

One of the major bottlenecks that emerged from our projects is the collection and transport of large volumes of CO2 across Switzerland and Europe. To further investigate this, we are currently involved in two projects related to the scale-up of CCS infrastructure in Switzerland and beyond.

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Conceptual design and cost estimation for a CO2 collection network in Switzerland

As a starting point, a first conceptual study for a CO2 pipeline collection network in Switzerland was conducted by the Italian pipeline engineering company Saipem. The goal of the study was to gain a better understanding of the engineering and regulatory feasibility and financing needs of building a large-scale pipeline infrastructure in Switzerland for CO2 transport; a summary of the results can be found below: 

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In the scope of this study, emitters from hard-to-decarbonize industries in Switzerland, such as waste-to-energy, cement or chemical, with emission rates above 100’000 tons of CO2 per year were considered (32 in total). Assuming all the emissions caused by these point sources were captured, transport capacities of around 10 Megatons per year could be expected. Conventional transport modes would require an unrealistic amount of daily shipments (≈1000 trucks/day, 11 barges/day and 450 rail cars/day) in order to handle the captured CO2, thus the need for a CO2 pipeline network is evident.

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5 pipeline scenarios were explored, which differ in regards to the exact routes selected and pressure levels applied. However, certain assumptions hold for all scenarios:

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• 2 final delivery points were defined, from where connections to international pipelines should be possible: Basel (towards the North) and Collombey (towards Italy).

• 2 pressure options for CO2 were considered: gas phase with a maximum operating pressure (MOP) of 35 barg and dense phase with a MOP of 145 barg.

• Regarding the routing, the existing gas pipeline network was followed as much as possible.

 

Most importantly, it was found that a Swiss CO2 pipeline network with two main trunklines (East and West) connecting the largest emitters is feasible (as depicted schematically below). The main western trunkline was designed to work bi-directionally and to carry parts of the eastern flow rate as well.

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