On September 4, on the island of Panarea, began the underwater measurement campaign with the Clean Sea technology of ENI S.p.a., one of the most important international companies in the energy sector in Italy, in collaboration with OGS ECCSEL-NatLab Italy infrastructure. The experimental survey aims to verify the ability of the Clean Sea technology to identify the presence of CO₂ in the water column for use in monitoring programs for CCUS projects currently being developed in Italy and worldwide.
This technology, already applied for pipeline integrity surveys and environmental monitoring in offshore scenarios, is based on interchangeable mission modules (e-pods) and a hybrid AUV/ROV architecture that allows a complete characterization of the area with a wide array of underwater technologies (visual imagery, sonar imagery, water column chemical-physical data).
The campaign confirms the importance of Panarea as a natural laboratory for testing new high-tech instruments. Moreover, the collaboration between OGS and ENI falls within the framework of ECCSEL priorities to create a dialogue between science and industry to reduce CO₂ emissions and decrease the environmental footprint.