General News
2 December, 2020
Name change for Otway National Research Facility
CO2CRC announced last week, its Otway National Research Facility, located near Nirranda South, will be now officially known as the Otway International Test Centre.
CO2CRC announced last week, its Otway National Research Facility, located near Nirranda South, will be now officially known as the Otway International Test Centre.
Chairman of CO2CRC Martin Ferguson AM welcomed Minister for Education and Member for Wannon Dan Tehan, to commemorate the renaming of the Otway International Test Centre.
He said he appreciated his acknowledgement of the world-leading research being conducted at the site.
“CO2CRC’s Otway National Research Facility has been the centrepiece of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) technology advancement in Australia over the past 15 years – developing national R&D capabilities, informing policy and regulatory settings and conducting community education,” Mr Ferguson said.
“The decision by CO2CRC to rename the facility to the Otway International Test Centre caps off the successful completion of a major infrastructure investment program which was funded by industry, the Victorian Government and the Federal Department of Education, Skills and Employment’s Education Infrastructure Fund (EIF).
“We believe the new name for the facility, is a truer reflection of its global significance in CCUS technology validation and will mark Australia’s enhanced capability to partner with world leading researchers and international industry to develop technologies to advance the deployment of CCUS.”
He said the Otway International Test Centre (OITC) will be the cornerstone of CO2CRC’s continued progress in advancing CCUS technologies and allow future users to demonstrate and validate CCUS technologies at a realistic scale, furthering the commercialisation of CCUS technologies and techniques.
Mr Ferguson reinforced the role of scientific research and technology development in validating lower cost CCUS technology solutions which will advance the realisation of the goals of the Australian Government’s Technology Investment Roadmap.
“CO2CRC is already a trusted technical focal point and knowledge hub for the CCUS community in Australia and internationally,”he said.
“Through the Otway International Test Centre, CO2CRC will extend its reach with major international researchers and companies and seek further collaborations and investments.
“Clean (no emissions) hydrogen produced from gas or coal, with carbon emissions captured and geologically stored, is also integral to realising Australia’s ambition to become a hydrogen superpower.”
CO2CRC has recently completed the successful installation of four new monitoring wells equipped at the site, according to Mr Ferguson.
“The upgraded capability of the facility means that it is able to provide CO2 monitoring data on demand,” he said.
“It is now arguably the most advanced field scale CCUS research site globally.”
Mr Tehan said the OITC provides businesses and universities the facilities to run experiments that further our knowledge of carbon capture, utilisation and storage.
“The Australian Government and industry have provided more than $100 million over the last decade to establish the facility and conduct research,” he said.
“Carbon capture and storage (CCS) and CCUS are a priority under the Technology Investment Roadmap and the Morrison Government is continuing to make investments to support this important technology as part of our technology not taxes approach to reducing emissions.
“Our government has also reduced the cost of a science degree so more Australians will become scientists and tackle big issues through research and innovation.
“We have also provided $900 million for a National Priorities and Industry Linkage Fund to support universities and STEM-focussed industry to work together in areas of industry and community priority.”
