State of the art in the quantitative risk assessment of the CCS value chain

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) emerges as a pivotal strategy in the global pursuit of achieving a net-zero society by 2050. CCS technologies may play a strategic role in the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in hard-to-abate industrial processes. However, assuring an excellent and enduring safety performance of the CCS value chain is of utmost importance to enhance its social acceptability. The early integration of inherent safety principles and of appropriate safety barriers and safety systems in design is thus paramount. Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) is a key tool to investigate and assess the safety performance of technologies. Actually, the unique thermodynamic characteristics of CO2 cause specific safety issues throughout the value chain. This comprehensive review explores the state of the art of specific data, models, and tools for the application of QRA to CCS technologies, addressing each of the specific steps of the CCS value chain: CO2 capture, conditioning, transport, injection, and storage into geological formations. Available models and data, as well as areas requiring further research to address knowledge gaps are highlighted. Offering a holistic perspective on CCS safety assessment, this review contributes to support informed decision-making based on QRA and advances in understanding the safety of CCS technologies.