Schematic of proposed Phase III subsurface field activities. Drilled in Phase II, UW PRB#1 will be re-entered and gauged for monitoring. UW PRB#2 will be drilled in Phase III for data collection and injection tests.

Project Description

This CarbonSAFE Phase III effort aims to build upon the progress of previous phases and advance towards the full commercial deployment of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin (PRB). Previous Wyoming CarbonSAFE project phases have demonstrated the feasibility of injecting commercial volumes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) at the proposed storage complex on the property of Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s (BEPC) Dry Fork Station (DFS). DFS is coal-based electric generation power plant that has been proposed as the project’s CO₂ source. Collocated at DFS is the Wyoming Integrated Test Center, a research facility dedicated to CCUS advancement.

The intent of this project phase is to finalize surface and subsurface site characterization and certify the safety and security of eventual commercial CCUS operations at DFS. Applications for underground injection control (UIC) Class VI permits to construct will be submitted and project personnel will work with regulatory authorities until the appropriate permitting is acquired. The team will prepare an Environmental Information Volume (EIV) to inform the project’s final National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) class of action; this will result in a final NEPA document containing either a Record of Decision or Finding of No Significant Impact. This project will incorporate Membrane Technology and Research’s (MTR) DFS CO₂ front end engineering and design (FEED) and CO₂ capture analysis into the project’s commercialization assessments. This analysis will detail the operational performance of a commercial-scale CO₂ capture plant at DFS.

Project Benefits

The main purpose of this project is to accelerate wide-scale deployment of CCUS by assessing and verifying safe and cost-effective commercial-scale storage sites for anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, and assessing the technical and economic viability of carbon capture and/or purification technologies for sources that will supply CO₂ to storage sites.

Presentations, Papers, and Publications

• Wyoming CarbonSAFE: Accelerating CCUS Commercialization and Deployment at Dry Fork Station and the Wyoming Integrated Test Center (Aug 2021)
  Presented by Fred McLaughlin, Scott Quillinan, and Kipp Coddington, University of Wyoming, Carbon Management and Oil and Gas Research Project Review Meeting

Contact Information