MRCI Midwest Regional Carbon Initiative
The Midwest Regional Carbon Initiative (MRCI) is a broad coalition of partners from research, academia, industry, NGOs, and the US government dedicated to the study, acceleration, acceptance, and deployment of carbon capture, utilization, and storage in the Midwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The MRCI was borne out of over 20 years of experience executing carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) research and projects in the American Midwest and combines the expertise of two Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships (RCSPs) – the Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (MRCSP, see https://edx.netl.doe.gov/group/rcsp-mrcsp) led by Battelle and the Midwest Geologic Sequestration Consortium (MGSC, see https://edx.netl.doe.gov/group/rcsp-mgsc) led by the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS).
Comprised of team members from multiple state geological surveys, academic institutions, and industry, the initiative works to connect science, technology, and research to advance the field of CCUS in its 20-state region. The program is led by co-Principal Investigators, Dr. Neeraj Gupta of Battelle and Chris Korose of the ISGS. MRCI project study area includes the Michigan Basin, Illinois Basin, Appalachian Basin, Atlantic Coast, and Off-shore.
The primary funding for the MRCI program is from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL, DE-FE-0031836) with Ms. Dawn Deel as the DOE project manager.