During the 2-year demonstration, about 120,000 tonnes of CO2 will be captured and stored.

The main goals of the project are:

• to improve control over the oxycombustion process (>> Oxycombustion), which is the capture technology being tested at Lacq;
  
• to reduce significantly the costs of the capture stage and also improve its energy efficiency;
  
• to demonstrate the feasibility of the modification of an existing boiler for oxycombustion;
  
• to master the complete industrial chain involving capture, transport and storage.

This experimental storage in a depleted gas reservoir is also intended to validate the methodology and the monitoring tools required for this type of storage, with a view to larger-scale operations in future, and to acquire knowledge to complement that gained from other international projects.

CO2 capture and Storage :
the Lacq pilot project (May 2010)

Total is investing €60 million in the Lacq demonstration project.

This project is one of the ways in which we are helping to make CO2 capture and storage technology efficient, safe and feasible on a large scale.

Development of CO2 capture and storage is one thrust of our strategy aimed at managing the environmental impacts of our activities.
It complements the measures we are taking to control and reduce our own emissions: reducing the flaring of gases produced together with oil, improving the energy efficiency of our facilities and the products we manufacture, and helping to develop low-carbon energies.