Coastal Bend Carbon Management Project: CarbonSAFE Phase II
Project Information
Port of Corpus Christi Authority (Corpus Christi, Texas) is evaluating the technical and economic feasibility of deploying CO2 capture and onshore geologic storage under Port-owned property as part of a comprehensive strategy for centralized, scalable carbon management in the Coastal Bend region of the Texas Gulf Coast.
Port of Corpus Christi Authority, Coastal Bend CCS, LLC.—a joint venture between Howard Energy Partners and Storegga—and Texas A&M University are collaborating to assess subsurface storage resources for CO2, refine reservoir targets, and design surface facilities for safe storage. This includes identifying risks, mitigants, costs, and legal/regulatory requirements, crucial for developing a Mitigation and Monitoring Plan. A comprehensive cost-benefit analysis is being conducted to evaluate environmental and socio-economic impacts, with a focus on benefiting disadvantaged communities. Additionally, an outreach program is in development to promote equitable economic development and prioritize historically disadvantaged communities.
Centralized, scalable carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the Coastal Bend will reduce the carbon intensity of the existing industry and energy production, including world-scale steel, LNG, and refined fossil energy production, and is a technology required to enable world-scale hydrogen production at the Port of Corpus Christi in support of national energy transition and decarbonization objectives. Prefeasibility simulation confirms that a single, 3,300-acre tract located within the 13,000-acre Project Pore Space that already secured for the project can store more than 50 million metric tons over thirty years with an injection capacity of up to 2 (or more) million metric tons per year.
The injection intervals of interest include both the Frio and Marg A. sandstones located at a depth of 5,000-8,000 ft subsurface, with the Frio Formation being the primary storage target. The thickness for each of the injection layers (i.e., Frio and Marg. A sandstones) is adequate for CO2 storage capacity and range from 100 to 250 ft. The project has begun the process of investigating what will be necessary to apply for a EPA Class VI well permit.
Risk assessment is an integral part of the risk management process and comprises three components:
- Risk identification
- Risk analysis
- Risk evaluation
Activities under this CarbonSAFE project include plans to publish documents, presentations, and reference materials.
Proposed Benefits
This Phase II CarbonSAFE project will collect and validate information on the feasibility and cost of commercial deployment of carbon storage technologies in the Coastal Bend region. In particular, the following are being addressed during this Phase II study:
- Quantify subsurface storage resources available to refine reservoir targets/priorities for permanent and economical storage of commercial quantities of CO2.
- Characterize the target subsurface reservoirs for the permanent storage of at least 50 million metric tons of CO2.
- Design surface facilities in a manner that ensures the safety of all inhabitants and property in the region.
- Identify risks and mitigants, costs, and legal and regulatory requirements of the Project as key steps in developing a robust Mitigation and Monitoring Plan.
- Conduct a full spectrum cost-benefit analysis that captures the environmental and socio-economic impact of the Project, focusing on the Project’s benefits to disadvantaged communities in the region.
- Develop a two-way outreach and engagement program which promotes equitable, inclusive economic development that prioritizes benefits to historically disadvantaged communities.
Team
