Carbon America to Develop Carbon Capture and Sequestration Project in Nebraska

(P&GJ) — Carbon America has entered an agreement with Bridgeport Ethanol LLC to develop a carbon capture and storage project in Nebraska.

The project will capture and store approximately 175,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) per year, equivalent to 95% of total emissions from the ethanol facility’s fermentation process. This is the first commercial project of its kind in the state of Nebraska.

“We look forward to permanently removing 175,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually from the Bridgeport Ethanol plant, equivalent to taking 38,043 passenger vehicles off the road,” said Brent Lewis, CEO and co-founder of Carbon America, said. “The Bridgeport carbon capture and storage project will safely divert CO₂ to a secure underground facility, benefiting local communities and the environment.”

This is Carbon America’s third agreement this year to finance, build, own and operate CCS systems at ethanol facilities. As the second largest ethanol-producing state in the U.S., this project marks an important milestone for the Nebraska ethanol industry. The project will enable Bridgeport Ethanol to reduce the carbon intensity of ethanol production, and increase their competitiveness in the market.

Carbon America plans to install carbon capture equipment that will extract CO₂ from the ethanol production process and transfer the gas via a new carbon dioxide pipeline to an underground geologic sequestration site near the plant. The sequestration site is rigorously designed to comply with Federal Class VI and California Air Resource Board Low Carbon Fuel Standard Permanency requirements.

Carbon America is working closely with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and multiple Nebraska regulatory agencies to ensure the project meets all environmental regulations. Carbon America expects the first injection to begin in 2024.

“This carbon capture and sequestration project, and others like it, is another example of the innovation and growth the ethanol industry brings to our state,” Anthony Goins, director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, said. “Nebraska ethanol facilities produce over 2.2 billion gallons of ethanol annually. According to a recent University of Nebraska – Lincoln study ethanol production delivers more than $4.04 billion of ethanol and co-products and an overall impact to our economy of over $4.5 billion. The economic development created by ethanol production creates jobs in rural Nebraska and is a primary driver to growing Nebraska.”

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