Video earthquakes in the Gulf of Valencia in recent weeks by around underground natural gas storage Castor , built under the sea off the coast of Vinaròs in Castellón have ‘discovered’ the public the existence of these infrastructures, however, spent decades working in Spain.
Natural gas can be stored underground in old fields and depleted oil or gas in aquifers or salt formations generated cavities for use when needed. Worldwide there are more than 600, according to data from Enagas.
Three natural gas storage operation
Spain currently operating
Three: ‘Serrablo’ among Sabiñánigo Jaca (Huesca) , which was the first to be launched in 1989 after running out of gas mine the , ‘Seagull’, off the coast of Bermeo (Vizcaya) , which began operating in 1994 and for which there is an expansion project, and ‘Yela’ Brihuega (Guadalajara ) , which started in late 2012 and uses a saline aquifer.
All three have a storage capacity of 5.781 million cubic meters, although most of these are part of the so called ‘cushion gas’, which is not removable but it needs to work.
‘Beaver’ , UGS Company Scales (ACS 66.67% and 33.33% of the Canadian CLP) provides add another 1,300 million cubic meters after an investment of 1,200 million euros to get the old oil field Amposta between Castellón and Tarragona, but his future is in the air until you determine why you are producing earthquakes of such intensity.
Huelva another project to convert in stock gas reservoir gives the Marshes in the coming years.
Where gas can build store?
President of Association of Geologists, Luis Suarez, RTVE.es explained that it is to be stored gas in a cavity, in a vacuum, but rather are used acting porous rocks as a “great sponge” absorbing gas compressed and injected them where you can re-extract later.
Besides having a “rock store” porous is necessary, says this expert, there is a “cap layer” of impermeable rocks above to ensure it is watertight space and “has no active faults.”
Where these conditions exist? In former gas fields, which were natural stores, such as Serrablo and Gaviota, in oil, like Castor, although in this case is to see if there is failure is influencing nearby earthquakes, and in saline aquifers, such as the Yela. In Spain there are none of this type but you can also use salt cavities underground.
Josep Isern, Engineer College of Catalonia, argues that natural gas storage are necessary for two reasons: to regulate supply and demand (need more gas in winter with the heating than in summer, for example) and to deal with potential supply problems . “A lower risk, but not zero,” adds the expert to remember what happened years ago when Russia cut gas to Ukraine.
Luis Suarez explained that the OECD recommends that states have gas stored for at least 90 days of consumption and the European Union are required to have reserves for 53 days.
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And, how does a underground natural gas storage? It involves injecting compressed gas into these stores during the warmer months (spring and summer) and then remove it during the winter when consumption is higher.
gas arrives through the pipeline network to plant operations , located at the surface, and which performs a first compression natural gas .
If the store is located underground beneath the seabed, as in the case of ‘Seagull’ and ‘Castor’, you need a pipeline to transport the fuel from the plant to the marine platform.
In this, the gas again be compressed and injected through wells in store itself. When injected, the gas displaces the water containing the porous rock. Turning to extract the displaced water regains its site. The stores are usually at a depth of between 1,000 and 3,000 meters profundad.
To return the gas that has been stored in the network traffic for consumption is necessary to pass back through the plant operations to remove water and put smell, among other actions.
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gas underground storage have called “useful” or “work”, which is to be injected and removed easily, and “cushion gas” is injected at the beginning and not can re-shoot .
The latter is necessary for well-functioning stock. As reported Escal UGS on its website, serves as insulation between the working gas and the underlying aquifer and helps maintain reservoir pressure.
The occurrence of earthquakes in the Gulf of Valencia have agree in time with the operation precisely this ‘cushion gas’. According to data provided by the company to Servimedia, Castor is stored only 7.7% capacity (100 million cubic meters). It is part of the cushion gas needed for its operation and for testing.
On 26 September, the Ministry of the Interior ordered the temporary closure of the store until proven why they are causing these earthquakes that have reached a magnitude of 4.2 on the Richter scale.
experts consulted agree that any mining activity causes microseismicity with a magnitude of between 1 and 2 , imperceptible to the public, but those recorded in Castellón and Tarragona are stronger than normal. We must wait for the studies to determine if the cause is the storehouse Castor, built near a fault.
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