Deployment-scale CO2 storage capacity and suitability assessment in the Subei Basin, China using a stratified and grid-based framework
摘要
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is widely regarded as a key strategy for large-scale mitigation of carbon emissions. Its effectiveness, however, hinges on the ability to identify storage sites that combine adequate capacity with sufficiently detailed characterization. Jiangsu Province, one of the most industrialized regions in China, faces a pressing need for reliable, deployment-scale site assessments to support the decarbonization agenda. This study develops a stratified and grid-based framework to evaluate CO2 storage capacity and site suitability in the Subei Basin, the province’s largest onshore sedimentary basin. Unlike conventional basin or tectonic-unit-scale assessments that rely on representative parameters, this framework discretizes the basin into 5 × 5 km grids and five stratified reservoir layers, integrating multi-factor analytic hierarchy process (AHP) weighting. This design explicitly captures geological heterogeneity, reveals layer-specific controlling factors, and enhances applicability for source–sink matching at the deployment scale. Five target reservoir units (DN1–DN2, SD1–SD2, and YC1) were defined within the Dainan, Sanduo, and Yancheng formations, and reservoir properties were derived from more than 1,000 wells and 2D seismic data under consistent spatial resolution. A two-tiered suitability evaluation system was constructed, integrating geological, capacity-related, and socioeconomic indicators through spatial overlay analysis and the AHP. This deployment-scale mapping reveals heterogeneity that is obscured in basin-scale assessments and thus provides more deployment-relevant capacity and priority-area estimates. The results indicate that formations from the Yancheng to the Dainan show favorable conditions, with a total theoretical capacity of 18.54 Gt. The Yancheng Formation provides the greatest potential, and 189 high-suitability grids—mainly in the Gaoyou and Hai’an depressions—were identified, accounting for 44% of the basin’s theoretical capacity with an average of 1.71 Mt/km². Overall, the proposed stratified and grid-based assessment approach provides a scalable bridge between regional evaluations and site-specific design, supporting optimized source–sink matching and phased CCS deployment in Jiangsu Province.