By SARA CLINE, Associated Press
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Three energy corporations are partnering on a carbon- capture project with the hopes of dramatically reducing industrial carbon dioxide emissions in Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Wednesday.
ExxonMobil, CF Industries and EnLink Midstream have entered into an agreement with the aim to maneuver 2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually — similar to what can be produced by nearly 431,000 gas-powered cars driven for one 12 months, based on the Environmental Protection Agency — by capturing carbon emissions and storing them deep underground.
“This landmark project represents large-scale, real-world progress on the journey to decarbonize the worldwide economy,” said Dan Ammann, president of ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions.
Captured emissions from the CF Industries ammonia production plant in Donaldsonville — the highest greenhouse gas industrial emitter within the state, based on Louisiana’s 2021 Greenhouse Gas Inventory report — shall be transported through EnLink’s existing pipeline network and “injected into deep, underground geologic formations” on ExxonMobil property in Vermillion Parish. Officials estimate the startup date to be in 2025.
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ExxonMobil owns 125,000 acres in Vermilion Parish. The project team continues to be “planning and evaluating” exact injection location inside the location.
Officials from all three corporations and Edwards, a Democrat, touted the deal, describing it as a crucial step in reaching Louisiana’s goal of net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.
“Today’s announcement of this unprecedented, large-scale, low-carbon partnership is a key milepost on Louisiana’s path toward a brighter future for our climate, our economy and our people,” Edwards said.
Carbon capture and storage projects are gaining traction since Congress approved $3.5 billion for them last 12 months.
In a November 2021 report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world’s top scientists said carbon capture and storage technology must be a part of the range of solutions to decarbonize and mitigate climate change. But they notably added that solar and wind energy and electricity storage are improving faster than carbon capture and storage.
Opponents of carbon capture and storage argue that projects pose threats to the general public health of communities long suffering from air and water pollution. Critics say that by prolonging the lifespan of an existing industrial facility, it presents additional environmental harm by extending the period of time it pollutes a community. As well as, because carbon capture would require more energy to power the equipment, it might end in more air pollution since the technology can only catch a portion of the carbon emitted by a facility.
Injection sites have generated controversy in Louisiana. Most recently, Livingston Parish enacted a moratorium on carbon-injection wells following public outcry, The Advocate reported. St. Helena Parish is considering an analogous freeze.
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