There is a lot of talk about carbon dioxide (CO2) capture these days…and that’s a good thing. In fact, the Associated Press recently reported that under a plan developed by Indiana Gasification LLC “carbon dioxide produced by a proposed southern Indiana coal gasification plant would be used to help boost oil production in the Gulf of Mexico.”
Indiana Gasification Developer William Rosenberg explained that his company would sell carbon dioxide created at its Rockport plant to Denbury Resources, an independent oil and gas company in Plano, Texas that plans to build a “$1 billion pipeline to the Gulf and use the gas to force oil out of wells.” Rosenberg added that “companies in Illinois and Kentucky also have expressed interest in the pipeline to offset the cost.”
While this is extremely encouraging news, something seems to get lost when discussing the viability of CO2—and it’s the fact that there have been successful carbon capture projects going on in the U.S. for nearly 30 years.
Need proof? Earlier this year on the Factuality Tour, we spoke with Keith Tracy of Chaparral Energy’s CO2 Business Development Unit who told us just how long they had been capturing CO2 for enhanced oil recovery, just as Denbury Resources plans to do. Tracy also noted how his company transports and monitors CO2 and speaks to the importance of accelerating CO2pipeline infrastructure.
Take a look—you might be surprised at what he had to say.
The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) is committed to the idea that America can have the affordable, reliable electricity we need, with the clean environment we want. ACCCE’s Behind the Plug blog is the place for up-to-date news and analysis on clean coal technology developments and energy policy progress.
CO2 is not toxic but in a large cloud of gas it could be dangerous. Because it is heavier it could drive out the air we need to breathe.
There is an issues in the Netherlands about injecting CO2 in large amounts in some abandoned methane gas fields near Rotterdam. See CO2 pocket of Barendrecht In dutch but will be translated I hope.