Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium
Phase III Project Awarded
The Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium (MGSC), and the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) have been awarded a $66.7 million contract from the U.S. Department of Energy to conduct a Phase III large-scale sequestration demonstration project in the Mt. Simon Sandstone. The MGSC, ISGS, and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) will work together on this carbon sequestration project, which will involve the capture and storage of carbon dioxide from ADM’s ethanol plant in Decatur, Illinois. The project is designed to confirm the ability of the Mt. Simon Sandstone, a major regional saline reservoir in Illinois, to accept and store 1 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide over a period of three years. The carbon dioxide will be provided by ADM from its Decatur, Illinois, ethanol plant, and the project will be located on ADM’s Decatur property. Carbon dioxide from ADM’s ethanol plant will be injected into wells drilled to depths exceeding 6,500 feet into the Mt. Simon Sandstone, where the compressed, liquid-like carbon dioxide will be stored in the pores of the rock formation, which is presently saturated with water that is several times saltier than sea water. The safety and effectiveness of the storage will be monitored by the MGSC through an extensive Monitoring, Mitigation and Verification (MMV) program. The project will begin in spring 2008 with the drilling of the injection well. Environmental monitoring will begin in October 2008 to collect background information over a year’s time. The sequestration and injection of carbon dioxide is scheduled to begin in October 2009 and should conclude in 2012. The $84.3 million project will be funded by $66.7 million from the U.S. Department of Energy over a period of seven years, supplemented by cofunding from ADM, Schlumberger Carbon Services, and other corporate and state resources.
.jpg)
About the Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium
The Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium (MGSC) is one of seven regional partnerships selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to determine the best approaches for capturing and storing carbon dioxide (CO2) that might otherwise contribute to global climate change. The MGSC is led by the Illinois State Geological Survey, in conjunction with the Indiana Geological Survey and the Kentucky Geological Survey, and covers Illinois, southwestern Indiana and western Kentucky. This partnership was established to assess geological carbon sequestration options in the 60,000 mi2oval-shaped, geologic feature known as the Illinois Basin. Within the Basin are deep, noneconomic coal resources, numerous mature oil fields and deep saline rock formations with potential to store CO2. MGSC’s objective is to determine the technical and economic feasibility of using these geologic formations for long-term storage.
About the Illinois State Geological Survey
Founded in 1905, the Illinois State Geological Survey provides the citizens and institutions of Illinois with earth science research and information that are accurate, objective and relevant to the state’s environmental quality, economic prosperity and public safety. ISGS is one of four scientific surveys affiliated with the University of Illinois and headquartered on its campus in Urbana-Champaign. Together they form a unique group of scientific experts in the earth, environmental and biological sciences that is unmatched in the nation. These agencies carry out objective, high-quality, multi-disciplinary scientific studies in service to all the people of Illinois.
About ADM
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) is the world leader in BioEnergy and has a premier position in the agricultural processing value chain. ADM is one of the world’s largest processors of soybeans, corn, wheat and cocoa. ADM is a leading manufacturer of biodiesel, ethanol, soybean oil and meal, corn sweeteners, flour and other value-added food and feed ingredients. Headquartered in Decatur, Illinois, ADM has over 27,000 employees, more than 240 processing plants and net sales for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2007 of $44 billion. Additional information can be found on ADM’s Web site at http://www.admworld.com/.
Contact:
Rob Finley, Director, ISGS Energy and Earth Resources Center: 217-244-8389
Sallie Greenberg, Sequestration Communications Coordinator: 217-244-4068, co2info@sequestration.org
Beth Ragan, ADM Media Relations: 217-424-5413, media@admworld.com
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under award number DE-FC26-05NT42588.
Illinois State Geological Survey |
Indiana Geological Survey |
Kentucky Geological Survey
National Energy Technology Laboratory