Carbon emissions from power plants and factories in North America could be stored underground for at least 500 years, according to the first ever document mapping the underground storage potential of the continent.

Published last week, the North American Carbon Storage Atlas (NACSA) is a joint effort between the US, Canadian and Mexican governments and includes both low and high estimates for storage capacity.

The low case puts potential capacity at 136 billion metric tons for oil and gas fields, 65 billion metric tons for coal fields, and 1,738 billion metric tons for saline reservoirs, collectively representing over 500 years of storage.

This number represents an increase on previous estimates, which the US Department of Energy (DOE) attributed to better equipment.

Also included are a number of sites where carbon can be pumped into the ground for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) capable of tapping hard-to-access domestic reserves.

The idea has not been widely explored outside the US, although one UK developer, 2CO, is looking to link its proposed Don Valley Power Project in Yorkshire to oil fields in the North Sea in order to undertake EOR, which would be the first time the approach has been attempted offshore.

In the US, President Obama has proposed emissions standards for new coal plants that would effectively outlaw new generation capacity that does not feature CCS capability.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu said CCS was an important part of the President’s much vaunted “all of the above” energy strategy.

“This new atlas provides the kind of fundamental information that, combined with technological innovation, can help fossil-fuelled facilities continue their essential energy role while reducing carbon pollution,” he added.

“This initiative can also help identify opportunities for enhanced oil recovery projects that can further increase domestic oil production, enhance American energy security and support economic growth in states across the country.”