Project Selections for FOA 2711: Carbon Storage Validation and Testing (Round 1)
Bluebonnet Sequestration Project – Bluebonnet Sequestration Hub (Houston, Texas) plans to complete the site characterization, front-end engineering design, permitting and environmental approvals required to achieve construction readiness for the Bluebonnet Sequestration Hub. The project will demonstrate the technical and commercial feasibility of a large-scale carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration hub for permanent storage of captured CO2 in a deep geologic formation. Development of the project from its current state to construction and commercial operation will enable capture and sequestration of 8 million metric tons (Mt) of CO2 per year for a 15-year period, with the potential for future expansion up to 26 million Mt per year and more than 350 million Mt total storage capacity. The project will also work to create a pipeline for students at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to enter the carbon management industry; increase collaboration, inclusion, and contracting with underrepresented groups; create a certification program for carbon capture and storage skills; expand relationships and enhance programs at local community colleges, HBCUs and other minority serving institutions; create an outreach program in nearby high schools; and host public forums, panel discussions, and town hall meetings to engage with the community.
DOE Funding: $16,480,117
Non-DOE Funding: $5,111,000
Total Value: $21,591,117
Lone Star Storage Hub Project – BP Corporation North America Inc. (Houston, Texas) intends to advance a carbon capture and storage project in Texas that will enable low-carbon hydrogen production at third-party facilities. The development will also support the storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) captured from other industrial facilities, helping to accelerate decarbonization of the Texas Gulf Coast industrial corridor. The Lone Star Storage Hub will include two CO2 storage sites interconnected by pipeline infrastructure and could ultimately store up to 15 million metric tons (Mt) per year. The project intends to research and deploy technologies that enable the safe and cost-effective appraisal, operation and monitoring of CO2 storage facilities. BP also aims to help develop a skilled and well-qualified workforce and support the free and fair chance to form and join labor unions and bargain collectively; deliver diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility that brings value to the economy and builds diverse capability for the industry and our communities; identify actions to reduce impacts and increase benefits to local communities, incorporating input from community partners and; engage stakeholders to understand what they expect and to help address complex challenges.
DOE Funding: $33,411,193
Non-DOE Funding: $35,100,000
Total Value: $68,511,193
CarbonSAFE Eos: Developing Commercial Sequestration for Southern Colorado – Colorado School of Mines (Golden, Colorado) plans to develop a regional geologic carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration hub to address emissions from diverse sources including cement, hydrogen and power in the near term and create opportunities for long-term economic benefit. The scope of the project includes collecting seismic data and drilling stratigraphic test wells to characterize primary and secondary target reservoirs, which will be incorporated into multiple Class VI well permits. The team plans to develop two-way stakeholder engagement that will help identify and manage the project’s impacts while being mindful of the industrial heritage and economic and environmental disadvantages of Pueblo, Colorado. These integrated technical and social activities are intended to provide the confidence necessary for full commercial commitments and regional acceptance, setting up successful long-term operations. A local plug-and-play sequestration hub matched with Pueblo’s industrial background and experienced workforce can attract new investments in future energy transition technologies such as blue hydrogen production, sustainable aviation fuel and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage while providing training opportunities for a decarbonized economy.
DOE Funding: $32,671,554
Non-DOE Funding: $8,167,888
Total Value: $40,839,442
Magnolia Sequestration Project – Magnolia Sequestration Hub (Houston, Texas) intends to complete the site characterization, front-end engineering design study, permitting, and environmental approvals required to achieve construction readiness for the Magnolia Sequestration Hub. The project will demonstrate the technical and commercial feasibility of a large-scale carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration hub for permanent storage of CO2 captured from industrial emitters and potentially multiple direct air capture facilities. Development of the project from its current state to construction and commercial operation will enable capture and sequestration of 4 million Mt of CO2 per year for a 15-year period with potential for expansion to 10 million Mt per year or more from industrial emitters and direct air capture facilities. The team intends to create a pipeline for students at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to enter the carbon management industry; increase collaboration, inclusion and contracting with underrepresented groups; create a certification program for carbon capture and storage skills; expand relationships and enhance programs at local community colleges, HBCUs and minority serving institutions; create an outreach program in nearby high schools; and host public forums, panel discussions and town hall meetings to engage with the community.
DOE Funding: $21,570,784
Non-DOE Funding: $5,457,484
Total Value: $27,028,268
Longleaf CCS – Southern States Energy Board (Peachtree Corners, Georgia) plans to significantly reduce the carbon emissions of South Alabama through the development of a stacked storage hub near Bucks, Alabama by completing relevant permitting, characterization and National Environmental Policy Act efforts. The project team has secured commitments from four separate carbon dioxide (CO2) emitters in the region representing a variety of industries. In aggregate, these commitments total up to 2.6 million metric tons (Mt) of annual CO2 emissions, or 78 million Mt of CO2 over 30 years. Primary target storage reservoirs include the Lower Cretaceous Paluxy Formation, the Lower Cretaceous Washita-Fredericksburg Interval and the Upper Cretaceous Lower Tuscaloosa Massive sand. Preliminary numerical modeling of the three target storage reservoirs indicates an estimated storage capacity of between 188 million and 781 million Mt of CO2. The project team will establish a community engagement team (CET) that will consist of subject matter experts within the project team and industry volunteers. The CET will be tasked with ensuring that local communities are involved in project decisions. Further, the CET will establish a network of participating minority serving institutions while developing a robust educational and employment program.
DOE Funding: $17,984,523
Non-DOE Funding: $5,924,074
Total Value: $23,908,597
Timberlands Sequestration Project – Timberlands Sequestration, LLC (Houston, Texas) intends to develop a biomass carbon removal and storage project for the Alabama River Cellulose (ARC) pulp and paper mill located in Monroe County, Alabama. The project will be designed to capture approximately 2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year for 30 years from the mill’s flue gas and inject the CO2 underground in deep saline aquifers for permanent storage. The project is planned to comprise a carbon capture plant located near the ARC mill, a 0.3-mile pipeline that will transport CO2 from the capture plant to the injection well, a Class VI well for CO2 injection into saline reservoirs 4,000 to 7,000 feet beneath the surface, and several wells to monitor the CO2 and underground sources of drinking water after injection. Because substantially all the mill’s fuel source and all its feedstock are sustainably harvested timber product, the project is designed to make operations at the ARC mill net carbon negative. The team also intends to (1) conduct a robust outreach and engagement program designed to enhance education about carbon capture and storage and solicit feedback regarding the project that can be used to further enhance project benefits and minimize project impacts, (2) provide market-competitive employment for construction and operation careers and (3) commit to increasing the diversity of the project team.
DOE Funding: $23,779,020
Non-DOE Funding: $5,944,755
Total Value: $29,723,775
Illinois Basin West CarbonSAFE – University of Illinois (Champaign, Illinois) plans to geologically characterize the Cambrian Mt. Simon Sandstone/Eau Claire Formation storage complex near the City Water, Light, and Power Dallman Power Generation Plant in Springfield, Illinois, for safe, permanent storage of more than 50 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over 30 years and to submit a UIC Class VI permit to construct application. The project team also plans to (1) acquire and analyze site-specific data sufficient to develop defendable geological and numerical models to predict site performance; (2) conduct a risk assessment to identify technical and non-technical project risks and to develop mitigation strategies; (3) examine and address potential environmental justice issues related to the project, and identify stakeholders to develop an engagement strategy that incorporates public input and ensures that disadvantaged communities have meaningful input; and (4) assess the technical and economic feasibility of the carbon capture and storage project at the Illinois Basin West site.
DOE Funding: $17,736,972
Non-DOE Funding: $4,434,243
Total Value: $22,171,215
Coal Creek Carbon Capture: Site Characterization and Permitting – University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center (Grand Forks, North Dakota) intends to characterize and permit a geologic carbon dioxide (CO2) storage hub in central North Dakota to store up to 200 million metric tons of CO2. The proposed storage hub will aggregate CO2 captured from the Coal Creek Station power plant and will advance the development of carbon capture and storage at Coal Creek, which will reduce 95% of the CO2 emissions from the plant, representing a 19% reduction of CO2 from North Dakota’s stationary sources. Implementation of carbon capture and storage at Coal Creek will supply members of the Midwest Independent System Operators, including Minnesota and the disadvantaged communities there, as well as others in the surrounding Midwest area, with reliable low-carbon-baseload power. Additionally, the development of carbon capture and storage at Coal Creek will create approximately 35-40 long-term jobs and over 2,000 direct/indirect short-term construction jobs. The proposed project will facilitate attracting, training, and retaining a skilled and well-qualified workforce for these new and existing jobs. The proposed project will also provide internship opportunities to students from minority-serving institutions and tribal colleges.
DOE Funding: $38,148,520
Non-DOE Funding: $9,537,131
Total Value: $47,685,651
CarbonSAFE Phase III: Sweetwater Carbon Storage (SCS) HUB – University of Wyoming (Laramie, Wyoming) plans to advance a commercial, multi-source, large-scale carbon capture and storage project. This project will capture and store at least 50 million metric tons of anthropogenic carbon dioxide in the first 30 years of operation. The project team intends to sequester carbon from two sources that are not associated with the energy industry. The project has the potential to provide permanent carbon sequestration for the entire U.S. trona industry, a critical national industry that supplies 90% of the world’s soda ash and represents the State’s largest international export. Soda ash is the second largest mining industry in Wyoming behind coal. Furthermore, the SCS Hub will support direct air capture scaling and commercialization by serving as a site host and sink for CarbonCapture Inc’s Project Bison, one of the largest direct air capture facilities planned for development within the U.S. The team also plans to develop a community benefits plan, and the owner of the hub has already implemented an outreach plan that has included community meetings and one-to-one meetings with stakeholders and pore space owners.
DOE Funding: $40,504,935
Non-DOE Funding: $10,135,000
Total Value: $50,639,935