In the News

Carbon GeoCapture Awarded Wyoming CarbonSAFE Phase III Carbon Sequestration Contract


November 4, 2020 (Laramie, Wyo) – Carbon GeoCapture Corp (CGC) announced today that it has been awarded a $7.2 million contract by Wyoming CarbonSAFE to manage all field activities under a $19.3 million contract awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory.  The contract objects are to evaluate the deep subsurface geology near Gillette, Wyoming for its potential to store carbon dioxide safety and permanently.

Several deep geologic rock formations are being studied for their suitability in permanently storing carbon dioxideThese formations include potential carbon dioxide storage zones and cap rocks, which seal the storage zone and keep the carbon dioxide contained.  CGC has been contracted to drill and technically characterize the formations.

The School of Energy Resource’s (SER) Center for Economic Geology Research (CEGR) at the University of Wyoming officially launched Phase III of the CarbonSAFE project last month.

Funding for Phase III of the project was approved in April, when SER and its partners received a $15.4 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory.

In addition to the $15.4 million in federal funding, project partner Basin Electric Power Cooperative is contributing $1.5 million, with UW’s cost-sharing contribution at $2.4 million.

The Wyoming CarbonSAFE Project (Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise) is among 13 original carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) project sites in the U.S. Funded by the DOE, the project’s ultimate goal is to ensure carbon storage complexes will be ready for integrated CCUS system deployment.

With the advancement of each stage and varying success, fewer sites have continued to the subsequent stages. Four of the original 13 projects have advanced to Phase III, including sites in North Dakota, Alabama and Illinois. One new project, located in New Mexico, has joined the program.

Wyoming CarbonSAFE Phase III project objectives are to finalize site characterization; complete Class VI permitting to construct; integrate Membrane Technology and Research Inc.’s CO2 capture assessment; and conduct National Environmental Policy Act analyses to advance toward the eventual commercialization of a large-scale -- storage of 50 million metric tons of CO2 within a 30-year period -- CCUS project at Dry Fork Station.

If Phase III is judged a success by DOE NETL, then the project may advance to Phase IV of the initiative for permitting and the construction of an actual storage complex.

The Environmental Protection Agency recently approved the application allowing Wyoming to have permitting authority for Class VI wells.  By achieving primacy, Wyoming has become a haven for operators that want to take advantage of the 45Q tax credit for carbon sequestration. The tax credit incentivizes utilities and other industrial sources to build out CCUS projects, including Class VI sequestration wells.

Other major participants and partners in the Wyoming CarbonSAFE project are Basin Electric Power Cooperative; Energy and Environmental Research Center; Advanced Resources International Inc.; Membrane Technology and Research Inc.; Denbury Resources Inc.; UW Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute; UW College of Business; UW College of Law; Los Alamos National Laboratory; and Schlumberger.


About Carbon GeoCapture Corp:  CGC is focused on using its technology and knowledge to sequester significant amounts of carbon dioxide in geologic formations as economically and quickly as possible.  CGC was founded in 2016 to drive safe, affordable sequestration of carbon dioxide in geologic reservoirs.  More information is available at www.carbongeocapture.com.

About Basin Electric:

Basin Electric is a consumer-owned, regional cooperative headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota. It generates and transmits electricity to 141 member rural electric systems in nine states: Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. These member systems distribute electricity to about 3 million consumers.