Project Selections for FOA 2711: Carbon Storage Validation and Testing (Round 3)

CARBONSAFE PHASE II: STORAGE COMPLEX FEASIBILITY 

CarbonGuard Colorado — BKV dCarbon Ventures (Denver, Colorado) intends to conduct a carbon storage complex feasibility assessment in Weld County, Colorado. The project will acquire petrophysical data through well logging and whole core extraction and licensing 3D seismic data available for the project area. The acquired data will enable the analysis and characterization of the (carbon dioxide) CO₂ storage complex to confirm initial assessments that indicate the potential for 50 million metric tons or more of CO₂ storage over the project's life. The planned study includes activities such as data collection, geologic analysis, subsurface modeling, risk assessment, and establishment of monitoring requirements. The team will develop and implement a public outreach and engagement strategy to engage key project partners and regulators and conduct workshops to disseminate project information, gather feedback, and synthesize it into actionable objectives to incorporate into the overall project development plan.

DOE Funding: $9,000,000
Non-DOE Funding: $4,551,568
Total Value: $13,551,568
 

Unlocking Scalable Carbon Capture and Storage in the Mid-Continent through Basalt Storage — Carbon Solutions LLC Foundation (Okemos, Michigan) plans to advance the characterization of basalt lithologies throughout the Midcontinent to provide pathways for stranded industrial CO₂ emitters in the region. Starting in a select storage field located just south of Lincoln, Nebraska, this project will leverage the unique characteristics of the Midcontinent basalts for secure, permanent CO₂ disposal while unlocking significant stranded industrial emitters. The objectives of this project include conducting a geologic feasibility assessment for a storage field capable of storing a minimum of 50 million metric tons of CO₂ over 30 years; completing a thorough assessment of the geo-technical and non-technical risks associated with the eventual injection operation; comprehensive techno-economic assessments of the entire carbon capture and storage ecosystem in the region, with a specific emphasis on providing achievable pipeline systems to transport the CO₂ from source to sink; and detailed plans for transitioning the findings of the project to a subsequent characterization of the site and Class VI permit application.

DOE Funding: $9,000,000
Non-DOE Funding: $6,369,641
Total Value: $15,369,641
 

Steamboat Carbon Storage Hub — Meriden Carbon LLC (Casper, Wyoming) intends to investigate a geologically, environmentally, and economically feasible commercial large-scale CO₂ storage hub in Laramie County, Wyoming. The project will lay the technical and economic foundations of a commercial large-scale regional geologic storage complex with the goal of maximizing environmental and economic benefits of CO₂ captured from Laramie River power station, Gerald Gentleman power station, and other industrial sources in the area. The Steamboat project team will seek to verify geologic suitability of the storage site by drilling two stratigraphic test wells and gathering pertinent geological data that will be used to evaluate the feasibility and risks of injecting at least 50 million metric tons of CO₂ over 30 years and storing it permanently. A roadmap for required permitting and project development activities will be developed to determine the most feasible project deployment scenario while assessing CO₂ sourcing and routing options.

DOE Funding: $9,000,000
Non-DOE Funding: $ 9,982,592
Total Value: $18,982,592
 

Grays Harbor CO₂ Capture and Storage Hub — Projeo Corporation (Des Plaines, Illinois) plans to determine the feasibility of storing 50 million metric tons of CO₂ within a 30-year time frame at a storage complex located in Grays Harbor County in southwest Washington. The team will clarify project risks and conduct mitigation/monitoring planning, CO₂ source and transport planning, analysis of contractual and regulatory requirements, technical and economic feasibility assessments, and develop a Phase-III work plan and Underground Injection Control (UIC) Class VI application plan. Project objectives will be achieved primarily via supplemental subsurface data acquisition that will include the drilling of a new stratigraphic test well and the acquisition of existing, commercially available 2D seismic data that will be used to update geologic, reservoir, and geomechanical models to further inform technical and economic feasibility. 

DOE Funding: $8,999,754
Non-DOE Funding: $2,278,646
Total Value: $11,278,400
 

Michigan Intrastate Technical Team (Project MITT) — Riverside Carbon Solutions (Traverse City, Michigan) intends to investigate reducing carbon emissions in central Michigan through the development of a storage hub near Midland, Michigan. The project will evaluate technical and economic feasibility of developing a CO₂ storage project by drilling and characterizing subsurface formations. Primary targeted storage reservoirs include the Sylvania Sandstone and the Bois Blanc Formation with potential storage in deeper formations. Preliminary static storage calculations of the target storage reservoirs indicate an estimated storage capacity of more than four million metric tons of CO₂ per square mile. Initial landowner outreach has indicated that the project’s land position spans a sparsely populated rural and forested region of northwestern Midland County. Economically, it is anticipated that Project MITT will benefit the region by reducing emissions from facilities in the region, many of which are key employers and taxpayers. Further, this project will enable the achievement of existing industry net-zero goals.

DOE Funding: $8,405,599
Non-DOE Funding: $2,101,248
Total Value: $10,506,847
 

RPS Expansion Project — RPS Expansion, LLC (Houston, Texas) plans to perform the expansion phase of the River Parish Sequestration Project. The total project following the expansion will provide up to 384 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) transportation and storage service to large industrial emitters located in the Louisiana Chemical Corridor between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana, in the parishes of Ascension, Assumption, and Iberville. This CarbonSAFE Phase II effort will start the site characterization and permitting work necessary to commercialize and achieve a final investment decision on the RPS Expansion Project. This project will include four injection wells, each capable of injecting two million metric tons per annum of CO₂. The RPS Expansion Project storage site will add storage capacity of 216 million metric tons of CO₂ over 30 years to the original River Parish Sequestration Project. Potential emitters include industrial manufacturers of ammonia, hydrogen, chemicals, and methanol.

DOE Funding: $9,000,000
Non-DOE Funding: $2,812,516
Total Value: $11,812,516
 

Southern Arizona CO₂ storage complex feasibility in Harquahala basin (CO2HQ) — University of Arizona (Tucson, Arizona) intends to conduct a feasibility study to evaluate subsurface storage of CO₂ in the deep subsurface in western Maricopa and eastern La Paz counties, Arizona. This work will build upon a pre-feasibility study that was conducted to evaluate the suitability of the subsurface geology for long-term CO₂ storage potential in the Harquahala basin. The project team estimates that the study area has a storage resource potential of approximately 2,000 million metric tons of supercritical CO₂. The basin is located close to multiple CO₂ emission sources, existing pipeline infrastructure, and a major interstate transportation corridor between Arizona and southern California. This CarbonSAFE Phase II project will investigate long-term geological CO₂ storage potential in Harquahala basin by drilling a deep characterization well, analyzing its core and cuttings, conducting subsurface and surficial geophysics, performing feasibility and risk analyses, and developing workforce development plans.

DOE Funding: $9,000,000
Non-DOE Funding: $3,025,079
Total Value: $12,025,079
 

Southwest Iowa Carbon Storage Project - Feasibility of the Midcontinent Rift System as a CO₂ Storage Complex — University of Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa) plans to demonstrate the feasibility of CO₂ storage in basalts of the Midcontinent Rift System (MRS). This CarbonSAFE Phase II study aims to characterize the 1.1-billion-year-old basalts of the MRS beneath southwestern Iowa. The formation of this rift included multiple periods of volcanism that generated stacked basalt lava flows creating a volcanic complex more than 10 kilometers thick. It has been demonstrated that basalt formations in Iceland and the Pacific Northwest U.S. can convert injected supercritical CO₂ to solid mineral phases. Storage complex feasibility will be achieved by drilling and characterizing rock samples from a deep stratigraphic test well on the site of the Walter Scott, Jr. Energy Center (WSEC), a coal-fired power plant in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The WSEC is the largest single CO₂ source in Iowa emitting over 5.2 million metric tons per year. 

DOE Funding: $8,999,734
Non-DOE Funding: $2,291,717
Total Value: $11,291,451
 

CO₂ Storage Hub for the Inland Northwest Economy (SHINE) Feasibility Study — University of North Dakota EERC (Grand Forks, North Dakota) intends to determine the feasibility of developing a carbon capture and storage hub in southeastern Washington State. The project objectives are to accelerate wide-scale deployment of carbon capture and storage by assessing and verifying the feasibility of using stacked storage complexes in southeastern Washington for the safe and cost-effective commercial large-scale storage of anthropogenic CO₂ emissions captured from Gas Transmission Northwest LLC compressor stations in southeastern Washington and other sources in the region. Prior evaluations performed by project partners of existing subsurface data indicate a storage resource greater than 50 million metric tons in the SHINE project area. A stratigraphic test well will be drilled in Washington to collect samples and measurements and conduct testing to assess the feasibility of these geologic units to serve as storage complexes. 

DOE Funding: $9,000,000
Non-DOE Funding: $2,250,000
Total Value: $11,250,000
 

CarbonSAFE Phase II: Storage Complex Feasibility in the Basin and Range, Southwest Utah — University of Utah (Salt Lake City, Utah) plans to establish the technical and economic feasibility of a commercial large-scale CO₂ geologic storage complex in the Basin and Range province of southwestern Utah. This project aims to store more than 50 million metric tons of anthropogenic CO₂ sourced from Fervo Energy’s Red Rock Direct Air Capture Hub project and Utah Iron’s new Direct Reduced Iron facility, currently in the design and permitting stage. The project will establish the feasibility of commercial storage through analysis of high-resolution characterization data, technical analysis, economic evaluations, and environmental analysis. The project will accelerate both Fervo Energy’s Red Rocks Direct Air Capture hub implementation and Utah Iron’s goal to be the Nation’s first green iron processing plant, by providing vital site assessment data for the commercial large-scale carbon capture and storage hub.

DOE Funding: $7,910,833
Non-DOE Funding: $2,744,987
Total Value: $10,655,820
 

Rocky Mountain CarbonSAFE Phase II: Storage Complex Feasibility — University of Utah (Salt Lake City, Utah) intends to assess and establish the feasibility of a commercial large-scale carbon capture and storage commercial hub in central Utah. This initiative encompasses a comprehensive approach, including site-specific characterization, preliminary risk assessment with mitigation plans, and detailed planning for subsequent site characterization, technical and economic feasibility assessments. Key methods involve collecting and analyzing geophysical data, drilling, and evaluating a stratigraphic well and developing geologic and computational models for CO₂ storage. The project's successful execution is anticipated to establish a carbon management hub in central Utah, significantly contributing to the reduction of industrial emissions and atmospheric CO₂ levels. By capturing and securely storing CO₂ from various industrial sources, the project will provide a model for economic revitalization through sustainable industrial practices.

DOE Funding: $8,906,470
Non-DOE Funding: $2,297,391
Total Value: $11,203,861
 

Central Appalachian Regional Depot for Industrial CO2 Abatement in Lone Star, Virginia (Project CARDINAL) — Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Blacksburg, Virginia) plans to investigate a regional CO₂ storage complex that will serve industrial sectors, including cement, chemical, steel and power generation. The CO₂ will be injected and stored within the fold-and-thrust belt geologic structures of western Virginia, where no viable economic option for geologic CO₂ storage currently exists. To demonstrate the feasibility of secure CO₂ storage in the region, Project CARDINAL will employ 2D seismic surveys and drill one stratigraphic test well to collect site-specific geologic information. The data gathered via drill-core samples, geophysical logs, seismic interpretation, and well testing will be integrated into numerical simulations to validate the suitability of the storage site.

DOE Funding: $9,000,000
Non-DOE Funding: $2,614,803
Total Value: $11,614,803

CARBONSAFE PHASE III: SITE CHARACTERIZATION AND PERMITTING

Alabama Carbon Express System: Project ACES — Advanced Resources International, Inc (Arlington, Virginia) plans to investigate reducing regional CO₂ emissions of central Alabama through the capture and storage of emitted CO₂ in deep saline reservoirs. The project team plans to characterize the site for CO₂ storage by drilling three stratigraphic test wells that will collect data on the reservoir properties and overlying shale confining units. The project will collect core and fluid samples, deploy geophysical logging tools to analyze reservoir characteristics, perform injectivity tests, and evaluate legacy seismic surveys. Studies will be performed on the facilities from which CO₂ will be captured to properly understand the physical and chemical properties and the likely capture technology to be deployed. Additionally, a transport pipeline will be studied to fully understand environmental, cultural, and landowner impacts. 

DOE Funding: $ 26,687,512
Non-DOE Funding: $ 6,927,502
Total Value: $ 33,615,014
 

Central Appalachia CO₂ Storage Hub Project — Advanced Resources International, Inc (Arlington, Virginia) intends to investigate the development of a carbon storage hub comprising two adjacent operating areas in Belmont County, Ohio and Marshall County, West Virginia. This project seeks to significantly reduce the regional carbon emissions of eastern Ohio and northwestern West Virginia through the development of a stacked storage hub in proximity to the siting of the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub and other major industrial facilities. The project will focus on the geological, engineering, and community assessment of large-scale CO₂ storage via the drilling and evaluation of two characterization wells, using seismic methods to ensure the site is appropriate and to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the subsurface, stakeholder engagement, environmental compliance, risk analysis, and a pipeline front-end engineering design (FEED) study. 

DOE Funding: $ 44,417,533
Non-DOE Funding: $ 11,678,872
Total Value: $ 56,096,405
 

North to the Future Carbon Capture and Sequestration Hub — ASRC Energy Services, LLC (Anchorage, Alaska) plans to advance towards the development of a commercial large-scale CO₂ storage hub in the North Slope region of Alaska and meet all requirements necessary to reach a financial investment decision for construction. The project will leverage expertise and infrastructure in the region to maximize the utilization of resources and minimize environmental impact. ASRC Energy Services plans to drill one stratigraphic well, study transport options and assess feasibility of CO₂ from area emitters, develop a storage field development plan, undertake National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) activities, and initiate application for an underground injection control (UIC) Class VI permit. The initial hub design consists of two injection wells and transport pipelines for two localized regions of CO₂ emitters. The project plans to advance the development and deployment of carbon capture and storage in the industrial center of Alaska by providing a dedicated storage location for point source and direct air capture projects. 

DOE Funding: $50,342,750
Non-DOE Funding: $12,585,688
Total Value: $ 62,928,438
 

The Oklahoma Carbon Hub (OKHub) — Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma (Norman, Oklahoma) intends to investigate a commercial-sequestration operation capable of injecting approximately 54 million metric tons of CO₂ over 20 years at three separate locations in Osage and Kay Counties, Oklahoma. Characterization activities are ongoing, and a stratigraphic test well was recently drilled. This CarbonSAFE Phase III project will supplement existing characterization efforts by drilling four additional stratigraphic wells and collecting and analyzing 2D seismic lines and 3D seismic coverage across the three sites. This project plans to investigate leveraging an existing pipeline system that currently transports CO₂ to regions adjacent to the planned storage facility. The project will also study induced-seismicity risk with a focus on mitigating this risk. 

DOE Funding: $ 18,737,658
Non-DOE Funding: $ 4,695,000
Total Value: $ 23,432,658
 

Elk Hills CO₂ Storage Project (EHStore) — California State University Bakersfield (Bakersfield, California) plans to accelerate the characterization, permitting and development of safe, secure transport and storage of more than 50 million metric tons of captured CO₂ over 30 years in multiple depleted oil and natural gas reservoirs that will be repurposed for UIC Class VI storage at the Elk Hills Oil Field in Kern County, California. The team will acquire data to further characterize and support future UIC Class VI permits and risk assessments in the study area. EHStore will disseminate results and findings to help facilitate the development of carbon capture and storage and provide valuable information on how to safely repurpose depleted oil and natural gas reservoirs. 

DOE Funding: $26,984,027
Non-DOE Funding: $7,422,979
Total Value: $34,407,006
 

Project Antheia: Developing Decarbonization Solutions for Georgia — Carbon America (Arvada, Colorado) intends to assess the viability of previously identified geologic formations in southeast Georgia for safe and permanent storage of CO₂. The project will acquire seismic data, drill stratigraphic test wells to analyze primary and secondary reservoir targets, integrate the findings into multiple UIC Class VI well permits, and evaluate the capture and transportation components of the value chain. The project will also develop information regarding the expected capital and operating costs, permitting pathways and incentives necessary to support final investment decisions to prepare the project to advance to detailed design and construction. 

DOE Funding: $67,936,612
Non-DOE Funding: $16,984,153
Total Value: $84,920,765

Evergreen Sequestration Hub, LLC — Evergreen Sequestration Hub (Houston, Texas) plans to develop a safe, reliable and cost-effective CO₂ geologic storage hub in Beauregard and Calcasieu parishes, Louisiana. The initial development phase targets injection of over 50 million metric tons of CO₂, with an estimated total project storage resource potential of approximately 250 million metric tons of CO₂. In developing the Evergreen Sequestration Hub, the project team will utilize subsurface data from a stratigraphic test well to further characterize the site’s geology and determine its suitability for permanent CO₂ storage. This geologic characterization will support Evergreen’s submitted applications for two Class VI injection wells. 

DOE Funding: $27,845,233
Non-DOE Funding: $6,961,308
Total Value: $34,806,541

Pelican Carbon Sequestration Hub — Pelican Renewables LLC (Stockton, California) intends to develop a regional CO₂ storage hub at the island of Rindge Tract in the eastern portion of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in California (“Delta”) that is accessible by barge and rail. Pelican will be drilling three characterization wells on Rindge Tract and performing a suite of logs, tests, measurements and analyses to characterize three target sandstone formations and their seals and optimize the potential for stacked storage at the site. The results will be used to inform Class VI injection well permitting and to prepare the plan for subsequent development of the storage field. The team will undertake environmental review work and seek to obtain other necessary permits. Front-end engineering design work will be completed for the barge CO₂ transport system and related infrastructure.

DOE Funding: $45,221,386
Non-DOE Funding: $11,305,347
Total Value: $56,526,733

Carbon Offshore Storage in Mustang Island Corpus Christi — Southern States Energy Board (Peachtree Corners, Georgia) plans to investigate an offshore, commercial large-scale CO₂ storage site located in Texas state waters off the coast of Corpus Christi in Nueces County. Approximately 35 million metric tons of CO₂ emissions are released annually from about 50 industrial and power facilities within a 100-mile radius of the offshore Mustang Island tract, including the Corpus Christi metropolitan area. In providing a potential decarbonization solution for these existing and new facilities, the project will accelerate detailed site characterization activities necessary to prepare and submit all NEPA and permit requirements and develop applicable technical and economic plans to support future construction and operational phases. 

DOE Funding: $51,105,440
Non-DOE Funding: $12,772,498
Total Value: $63,877,938

CARBONSAFE PHASE III.5: NEPA, FEED Studies, and Storage Field Development Plan Only

Pineywoods Carbon Capture and Storage Hub — Carbon Solutions LLC (Okemos, Michigan) intends to build on progress already made on the Pineywoods Carbon Capture and Storage Hub project in Southeast Texas, which includes storage site characterization and the submission of a UIC Class VI permit application. The project objectives include completing the DOE NEPA process and addressing the remaining aspects of the storage field development plan, CO₂ source feasibility study, CO₂ pipeline FEED study, and business strategy to prepare for construction. The Pineywoods Carbon Capture and Storage Hub project team will establish a community advisory board to address community concerns, identify potential community or labor agreements, and cultivate local talent for carbon capture and storage-related employment. The project will also work with local first responders to understand their training and equipment needs related to the project.

DOE Funding: $4,549,923
Non-DOE Funding: $ 2,077,144
Total Value: $6,627,067

CarbonSAFE Phase IV: Construction

North Dakota CarbonSAFE Phase IV: Site Construction — DCC East Project LLC (Grand Forks, North Dakota) plans to construct a dedicated, commercial large-scale geologic carbon storage facility to store up to 80 million metric tons of CO₂ in support of Project Tundra. Project Tundra is an initiative that would capture up to 95% of CO₂ emissions from Minnkota’s Milton R. Young Station (MRYS), a 675-megawatt two-unit, coal-based power plant located approximately 6 miles southeast of Center, North Dakota. Captured CO₂ will be transported along a 0.25-mile flowline to injection wells located on Minnkota property and injected at a rate of approximately 4 million metric tons per year over 20 years into deep saline formations for secure geologic storage. DCC East will lead efforts to drill and complete the three injection wells and one monitoring well, update and finalize risk and mitigation plans, install surface equipment and complete collection of baseline data, complete all other facility infrastructure, and obtain Class VI authorization to inject from the North Dakota Industrial Commission. The project will add full-time equivalent jobs to the already existing 360 full-time equivalent jobs at MRYS and the adjacent coal mine, which are the main economic drivers for the town of Center and surrounding Oliver County.

DOE Funding: $48,611,271
Non-DOE Funding: $48,612,000
Total Value: $97,223,271