UW School of Energy Resources Closes Out Wyoming CarbonSAFE Project

After nearly a decade of work, the Wyoming CarbonSAFE Project, led by the Center for Economic Geology Research (CEGR) in the UW School of Energy Resources (SER), has officially concluded.

The Wyoming CarbonSAFE Project, which stands for Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise, is one of 13 original carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) project sites in the U.S. with the ultimate goal of ensuring carbon storage complexes will be ready for integrated CCUS system deployment.

The project launched in 2016 and was primarily funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory and hosted by Basin Electric Power Cooperative's Dry Fork Station near Gillette. Its successful completion of Phase III has established the technical feasibility and storage capacity required for a commercial-scale CCUS operation in the Powder River Basin region of Wyoming.

"This project represents a very meaningful chapter at the School of Energy Resources," says SER Senior Director of Research Scott Quillinan. "It was the catalyst that initiated and propelled the growth and development of SER's robust research program. By successfully navigating every phase of the CarbonSAFE program, it also has established the gold standard for competitive research. We deeply appreciate the invaluable support we've received from our research team, project partners, the Gillette community and the state in advancing this effort."

The project's conclusion is a major milestone that has yielded a wealth of information on commercial-scale carbon management in Wyoming. Achievements include drilling two test wells at depths below 9,800 feet; detailed geologic modeling and reservoir characterization; a successful National Environmental Policy Act analysis; a CO2 transportation FEED study; a robust baseline monitoring and risk assessment system; multiple publications; and 10 underground injection control Class VI permits.

Additionally, the project served to provide many "firsts," including targeted public outreach and community engagement; creation of model pore space leases and unitization concepts; economic modeling; and pore space valuation studies -- all of which was important in helping the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality develop procedures under Wyoming's primacy.

"This project has been, and will remain, an essential roadmap for future efforts," says Dan Eakin, a senior research professional at SER and principal investigator on the project. "It enabled us to identify and address core challenges in carbon management, resulting in the development of best practices that can be applied elsewhere. Furthermore, it established a key platform for CCUS education, successfully training a skilled workforce of students and professionals who are ready to deploy their expertise in an emerging industry."

The site, now known as the Northern Powder River Basin Carbon Sequestration Hub, is neatly teed up for commercial operation. Well positioned by the two wells that stand completed to stringent Class VI standards, the hub is ready for immediate use in either commercial injection or as dedicated research wells to further advance the understanding of CCUS.

The team is compiling the final report for submission to the Department of Energy, through which all of the data will be made publicly available. Looking ahead, should funding become available for the project's next phase, the expert team is ready to assist directly with construction or to transition into an advisory role as the broader industry takes off.

"This is more than the completion of a project; it's the culmination of a decade of passion, perseverance and unwavering belief from our entire team," says CEGR Director Fred McLaughlin. "It has truly been a collaborative effort from SER scientists, UW faculty and students, state agencies, community members and industry partners. Our deepest thanks go to Basin Electric Power Cooperative, an incredible partner who has been with us for the entire journey. We are exceptionally proud of what we have achieved."

Other major participants and partners in the Wyoming CarbonSAFE project include: Basin Electric Power Cooperative; Energy & Environmental Research Center; Advanced Resources International Inc.; Carbon GeoCycle Inc.; MTR; Denbury Resources Inc.; UW's Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute; UW's College of Business; UW's College of Law; Los Alamos National Laboratory; SLB; Trihydro; Wyoming's Department of Environmental Quality; and Pacer Energy.