US DOE Allots $6MM for CO2 Transport Project in Texas

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) has earmarked $6 million for a carbon dioxide (CO2) transportation project in Texas.

The selected project aims to explore the transport of CO2 from onshore industrial and power generation facilities to offshore secure geologic storage in Texas state waters, according to a news release from the agency.

The San Patricio-Aransas-Nueces CO2 Infrastructure Project of the Southern States Energy Board in The Woodlands, Texas, will develop a front-end engineering and design (FEED) study to assess the feasibility of developing a modular, open-hub carbon dioxide transportation network that connects several carbon dioxide sources from industrial and power facilities around the Port of Corpus Christi to nearby large-capacity offshore permanent storage sites.

The project builds upon a pre-FEED study and detailed site characterization activities at the proposed offshore permanent storage sites of the Mustang Island and Port Aransas North tracts in Texas state waters. DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), under the purview of FECM, will manage the selected project.

Further, the DOE said it will make up to $48 million available under the fourth opening of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding opportunity to support regional CO2 transport networks that connect sources of CO2 to locations for geologic storage or conversion to value-added products.

The DOE noted that expanding commercial CO2 transport and storage supports the development of a large-scale carbon management industry to reduce emissions, provide new job opportunities, and enhance energy security.

“As we continue to build out the infrastructure needed to safely transport and permanently store carbon dioxide emissions across the Nation, we are exploring a range of carbon dioxide transport options based on regional requirements,” Brad Crabtree, FECM Assistant, said. “By investing in engineering and design studies that advance this critical planning, we are helping to ensure a safe, reliable CO2 transport system to support a clean and secure energy and industrial economy”.

The DOE announced it will make up to $48M available under the fourth opening of the $100 million, five-year Carbon Dioxide Transport, Front-End Engineering and Design funding opportunity. The effort funds FEED studies of regional-scale CO2 transport projects that can improve system scale and efficiency and strengthen connectivity between key CO2 sources to centralized locations for storage or conversion. CO2 captured from industrial and power generation facilities, as well as CO2 emissions captured directly from the atmosphere, may be transported by any mode of transport such as pipelines, rail, trucks, barges, or ships, including any combination of transport modes, according to the release.

FECM said it has committed an estimated $1.4 billion since January 2021 for projects that advance the research, development, and deployment of carbon transport and storage technologies and infrastructure. The total includes $17 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for six previously announced projects that will perform FEED studies for regional CO2 transport networks, the agency stated.

Last month, the DOE established a new Tribal Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Working Group to collaborate with eight federally recognized Tribes. The DOE said that the working group will provide advice and expertise to the DOE on the best ways to assist Tribal decarbonization efforts and the utilization of Tribal natural resources.

The working group will focus on technical assistance and capacity building to help Tribes leverage funding opportunities related to carbon capture, methane mitigation, critical minerals, and the repurposing of retired fossil fuel infrastructure.

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