Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a suite of technologies that can be deployed to allow the secure capture and geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO2).
The US is home to multiple states with suitable geology to store CO2 safely, securely and effectively. Geological regions appropriate for CCS have deep underground rock formations thousands of feet below the surface and allow for development without disturbing surrounding communities or habitats. bp actively participated in a study by the National Petroleum Council that noted the US has “one of the largest assessed CO2 geologic storage” capacities.
This gives the US an opportunity to deploy CCS to further reduce CO2 and we’re engaging with policymakers to help make it happen.
CO2 is captured from various sources – either before it escapes into the atmosphere or directly from the air. The captured CO2 is compressed or liquefied and then transported, usually by pipeline. The CO2 is then safely stored permanently and securely thousands of feet underground – this process is often called “sequestration.”
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a suite of technologies that can be deployed to allow the secure capture and geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO2).
CO2 capture and transportation technologies have been operating safely across the globe and in the US for many years. CCS storage sites are thousands of feet underground and undergo stringent testing to ensure safety, combined with robust monitoring and governmental regulation and oversight.
In most of the US, the underground injection of CO2 is regulated by the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s Underground Injection Control program Class VI permitting process. (A few states have received EPA approval to run their own Class VI permitting programs.) The permitting process can take several years to verify a storage operator has sufficiently characterized the site, set physical parameters to safely operate the site, has the correct monitoring technologies in place to track any movement of injected CO2 over time, and has the financial capability to address necessary remediation, if any.