Carbon America commits to CCS project at Bridgeport Ethanol’s facility in Nebraska

Oct. 5, 2022
The project will capture about 175,000 tons of CO2 annually from the fermentation process at the plant through installed carbon capture equipment, transport that gas through a new CO2 pipeline and store it in an underground geologic sequestration site

Carbon capture and storage solutions firm Carbon America signed an agreement with chemical firm Bridgeport Ethanol to develop a CCS project at its ethanol facility in Nebraska.

The project will capture approximately 175,000 tons of CO2 annually from the fermentation process at the plant through installed carbon capture equipment, transport that gas through a new CO2 pipeline and store it in an underground geologic sequestration site near the plant. The site is designed to comply with Federal Class VI and California Air Resource Board Low Carbon Fuel Standard Permanency requirements.

“We look forward to permanently removing 175,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually from the Bridgeport Ethanol plant, equivalent to taking 38,043 passenger vehicles off the road. And with new federal funding for carbon capture and sequestration projects – through the Inflation Reduction Act – carbon removal projects will play an even larger role helping the United States achieve our emission reduction goals,” said Brent Lewis, CEO and Co-Founder of Carbon America. “The Bridgeport carbon capture and storage project will safely divert CO₂ to a secure underground facility, benefiting local communities and the environment.”

Carbon America is working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other regulatory agencies in Nebraska to ensure that the project meets environmental regulations. The first injection is expected to start in 2024.

“Carbon America’s carbon capture and sequestration facility for the Bridgeport Ethanol plant is the first project of its kind planned in Nebraska that we believe will support our state’s vibrant ethanol and agriculture industries,” said Dawn Caldwell, Executive Director of Renewable Fuels Nebraska. “Expanding carbon capture and sequestration in Nebraska will help our farmers and ethanol producers participate in the growing market for low-carbon plant-based fuels, while also benefiting the environment.”

For Carbon America, this is its third agreement in 2022 to finance, build, own and operate CCS systems at ethanol facilities. This project will enable Bridgeport Ethanol to reduce the carbon intensity of its ethanol production process.  

About the Author

EnergyTech Staff

Rod Walton is senior editor for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 14 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.

Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

He can be reached at [email protected]

EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids.

Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.

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