Alaska CCUS Workgroup accelerates commercial carbon capture, use, and storage

Project Info

Lead Researcher(s)

Frank Paskvan (UAF-INE)

Project Team

Haley Paine (AK DNR)
Christine Resler (ASRC)
Brent Sheets (UAF-INE)

Project Dates

7/2022–present

Project Location

Alaska

Funding

Department of Energy through PCOR

Partners (click an icon to open Partner home-page):

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Arctic Slope Regional Corporation

Alaska Department of Natural Resources

Project Summary

The Alaska CCUS Workgroup was formed July 2022 to accelerate commercial carbon capture, use, and storage (CCUS) projects within the state. The workgroup’s mission is to attract new investments and to assure continued operations of power generation, industrial processes, and oil and gas production, all of which are carbon intensive activities vital to the state economy.

 If you'd like to join this workgroup, send an email to CCUSAlaska@gmail.com

 

 

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Figure 2 from CO2 Stationary Sources in Alaska (red) & Deep Sedimentary Basins (yellow)
[See
 item #7 below, Shellenbaum and Clough, 2010]

Papers and References:

1. A 2-page summary of CCUS

link: Understanding Carbon Capture and Storage (CSS 101)

 

2. The NPC Roadmap to CCUS Deployment is a 2019 study provided to US Secretary of Energy. It offers a national Roadmap to CCUS deployment, including technology, economics, and other useful CCUS info. Paraphrasing this work, "To meet the dual challenge of increasing global energy demand and a growing population, there is a need to provide affordable, reliable energy while addressing the risks of climate change. The world gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to double in the next twenty years. With increasing GDP, energy consumption will also increase. Widespread CCUS deployment is essential to meeting this dual challenge at the lowest cost."

link: NPC Roadmap to CCUS Deployment

 

3. The following document was prepared by the Alaska CCUS Workgroup and UAF-INE in collaboration with the Department of Natural Resources. It summarizes work ahead of the legislative session on carbon storage:  

link: Issue and Policy Review for Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) in the State of Alaska, November 1, 2022

 

4. After reviewing prior work, the Workgroup requested a seismic hazards screening for carbon sequestration in Alaska from the DNR Engineering Geology Section. Statewide and regional (North Slope, Southcentral, and Interior) features were reviewed including mapped active faults and fault- cored folds, modern seismicity, anticipated peak ground acceleration (from USGS Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis, 2007), and potential for fault surface ruptures. The North Slope is least seismically active. Southcentral, while seismically active, does not currently have faulting that extends from formation depths to surface and is considered amenable for carbon storage, as evidenced by sizeable oil and gas accumulations. The Interior target, within the Northern Foothills Fold and Thrust Belt, has greater potential for surface rupturing faults than the North Slope or Southcentral [Salisbury 2022]. Local, site- specific analysis will be needed for any potential storage project:

link: Seismic Hazard Considerations for Carbon Sequestration in Alaska

 

5. The Global CCS Institute publishes a summary of CCUS status and update on technology, finances, key concepts in appendicies.

link: Annual 2022 Global CCS Institute report on CCUS status

 

6. A discussion of the “Alaska CCUS Workgroup and a Roadmap to Commercial Deployment” was shared with Senate Resources on March 6, 2023 regarding Senate Bill 49, a bill related to Carbon Storage. The meeting record includes:

  1. a pre-print of the paper discussing this topic,
  2. the presentation, starting on slide #13, and
  3. a video record of the presentation, starting at 4:07:50 pm.

link: Meeting Record: Senate Resources, March 6, 2023, Testimony on SB49

The meeting also heard testimony from David Greeson in slides #1—12 and in the first part of the video record.  

 

7. Alaska geologic carbon sequestration potential estimate: Screening saline basins and refining coal estimates, DNR, Shellenbaum, D., and Clough, J., 2010:

link: Alaska geologic carbon sequestration potential estimate: Screening saline basins and refining coal estimates

 

8. The University has performed research on a wide variety of topics. The search engine below returns a large number of hits under "carbon sequestration":

link: Search (alaska.edu)