Carbon Solutions researchers, working with the Great Plains Institute, presented potential CO₂ transport networks for Pennsylvania last week. These networks were presented as part of a Carbon Capture Symposium organized by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, in partnership with the Great Plains Institute and the Clean Air Task Force. This meeting brought carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) experts together with stakeholders to discuss CCUS opportunities in Pennsylvania.

This transport network optimized the transport of captured CO₂ from industrial facilities and power plants in Pennsylvania to hubs throughout the Ohio River Valley for long-term geologic storage. SimCCS was used to develop these possible network scenarios for near-term opportunities and an idealized longer-term, mid-century network. The near-term opportunities were identified by the GPI Regional Deployment Initiative as being especially good targets for carbon capture and having positive ROI within 10-15 years. The mid-century network incorporated all Pennsylvania facilities eligible for the 45Q Tax Credit. The 45Q Tax Credit incentives large emitters to capture and store CO₂ in sub-surface geologic formations. Emitters are rewarded for each ton put into long-term storage in these formations.

The near-term and mid-century scenarios added 864 and 1,341 miles of pipeline infrastructure, while moving 18.8 MMT CO₂ and 41.6 MMT CO₂, respectively, to geologic storage hubs. These two transport networks would use the right-of-way created for the existing 12,225 miles of fossil pipelines in Pennsylvania to further bring down infrastructure costs and increase efficiency in deployment.

The team highlighted the importance of Pennsylvania within the larger regional and national CO₂ transport networks. Previous literature investigating CO₂ infrastructure emphasized the importance of economies of scale and long-term planning to optimize CO₂ transport and storage. GPI and Carbon Solutions next plan to broaden the scope of this prospective transport network to encompass the greater Mid-Atlantic region.