DOE invests $23.4M into 16 carbon management projects
A selection of 16 projects from 14 states will share $23.4 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, as part of a federal effort to encourage technical assistance and stakeholder engagement for carbon management technologies.
“There’s no denying that to reach our climate goals technology will play a central role in the reduction of harmful carbon emissions that are exacerbating the impacts of climate change,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said. “Today’s investments will help regions across the nation develop locally-focused pathways that advance the deployment of carbon management technology, while delivering more jobs and cleaner air.”
Selected projects came from universities and private companies alike, all with similar aims: uniting carbon management developers and local communities to improve collaboration and education around carbon capture, transport and storage technologies. It represents a doubling down by the DOE on the notion that carbon management technologies, deployed at large scale, could help reduce emissions from harder to decarbonize industrial uses.
Close engagement with communities will be key for this, but the federal government put particular focus on making sure the public understands the technical aspects of the projects. DOE will also work to reduce project costs and risks, lower monitoring costs but raising efficacy, develop better strategies for gaining public acceptance and garnering data to inform decision-making in various regions.
Funding was divided into two areas of interest: technical assistance and public engagement for geologic CO2 storage and transport at large-scale storage facilities or within possible regional carbon management hubs, as well as state geological data gathering, analysis, sharing and engagement. Of these, six projects will support the former, while 10 support the latter goal.
Recipients include organizations like the Battelle Memorial Institute, academic interests like the University of Texas and governmental entities such as the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
All will operate under the management of DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM).
