ISO 27914:2017

Overview

ISO 27914:2017 - Carbon dioxide capture, transportation and geological storage - Geological storage - establishes requirements and recommendations to enable safe, long‑term geological storage of CO2. The standard promotes commercial, safe containment of CO2 streams that minimizes risks to the environment, natural resources and human health. It applies to onshore and offshore storage in permeable, porous strata (including hydrocarbon reservoirs) except where CO2 injection is for hydrocarbon production or CO2‑EOR. ISO 27914:2017 covers the full project life cycle from site screening and selection through injection, operation, cessation of injection and the post‑injection (closure) period.

Key topics and technical requirements

ISO 27914:2017 covers both management and technical aspects. Main topic areas include:

• Management systems: project scope, roles and responsibilities, documentation, communication, resources and competence, stakeholder engagement.
• Site screening, selection and characterization: geological and hydrogeological evaluation, confining strata, baseline geochemical and geomechanical data, well characterization.
• Modelling: geostatistical models, flow, geochemical and geomechanical modelling to assess storage behaviour and capacity.
• Risk management: structured risk assessment, evaluation criteria, risk treatment plans, risk communication and consultation.
• Well infrastructure: materials selection, well design, cementing, groundwater protection, corrosion control, construction, completion and wellbore monitoring.
• Project boundaries and lifecycle: organizational, operational and project delineation, and closure planning.
• Stakeholder and community engagement: requirements and recommendations for transparent communication throughout the project life cycle.

The standard provides requirements and recommendations rather than prescriptive technical recipes; it acknowledges that site selection and management are project‑specific and that regulatory permitting is required though permitting processes are not included in the document.

Practical applications

ISO 27914:2017 is used to:

• Develop and document CO2 storage project management systems and technical plans.
• Guide site screening, characterization and modelling to support storage feasibility and design.
• Structure risk assessments, mitigation and communication strategies to protect health, safety and the environment.
• Define well integrity, materials and monitoring needs during construction, operation and closure.
• Support transparency with stakeholders and provide a framework aligned with best practices for long‑term containment.

Who should use it

• CO2 geological storage project operators and engineering teams
• Subsurface and reservoir geoscientists and modelers
• Drilling and well integrity engineers
• Environmental, health & safety and risk managers
• Regulators and permitting authorities (for reference)
• Consultants, auditors and investors evaluating storage projects

Limitations and relations

ISO 27914:2017 does not supersede national/international laws, treaties or property rights, nor does it cover permitting procedures. It should be used alongside applicable regulations and complementary standards for monitoring, measurement and verification.