Assessment of Geological CO₂Storage Potential in Northern Red Sea Coastal Basins, Saudi Arabia

Northern Red Sea coastal basins in Saudi Arabia are under favorable background conditions for geological CO₂storage, such as proximity to major CO₂emissions, favorable geothermal regime and seismicity. This study assesses CO₂storage potential in four major basins, including the Midyan, Ummluj, Yanbu and Jeddah basins. We identified major potential sites, using all the available data, including subsurface data, outcrops, potential field and satellite images. We ranked major potential sites, based on containment system security, storage capacity and proximity to CO₂emissions. Results show that the basins have a total effective storage capacity of c. 6500 Mt (P₅₀value), which is high enough to store targeted nearby stationary CO₂emissions (c. 115 Mt/yr) for c. 60 years. Aquifers with closed structure or a regional seal are locally present that are the most attractive for CO₂storage, due to their high containment security. However, most of the sites have heterogeneous dipping aquifers without regional seal, which will rely on the migration-assisted trapping to contain safely downdip injected CO₂. Detailed geological modelling and reservoir simulation in the future are essential for conforming the storage potential in these unsealed aquifers.