Regional resource evaluation and distribution for onshore carbon dioxide storage and utilization in Uzbekistan

Abstract

Addressing the escalating threat of climate change requires a global response, with significant actions from every nation. Uzbekistan, a member of the Paris Agreement, is actively pursuing sustainable development by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting renewable energy. However, the country's Green Economy strategies currently lack Carbon Capture, Storage, and Utilization (CCSU) technology. A feasibility assessment is crucial to evaluating CCSU's potential for achieving net-zero emissions, benefiting both the public and scientific communities by informing policy decisions and providing valuable data. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate Uzbekistan’s potential for carbon dioxide (CO2) storage and utilization (CSU) in the near and mid-term. To achieve this, this work proposes a methodology for efficient CO2 source-sink matching to facilitate the deployment of CCSU technologies in Uzbekistan. Resource evaluation and spatial analysis methods are used to estimate the total CSU capacity of the region and the geographical distribution of CO2 sources in two large-scale emitting sectors, specifically from the power and cement plants. According to the results, Uzbekistan has an annual CSU capacity of 1171 million tonnes CO2, which is several times higher than the annual CO2 emission rate. Additionally, CSU resources are primarily located in the eastern, western, and southern regions of the country, while CO2 sink locations near the capital city and its surrounding areas are limited compared to their abundance of CO2 sources. Overall, while the country has ample CO2 storage capacity for CCSU deployment, the prospects for its chemical utilization remain limited in scale.