Commercial-scale CCS Project in Decatur, Illinois – Construction Status and Operational Plans for Demonstration

Abstract

Abstract United States Department of Energy (DOE) and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) has made substantial progress in the development and construction of the largest saline storage project in the U.S. This commercial-scale project is located at the ADM's agricultural processing and biofuels complex in Decatur, Illinois. The Office of Fossil Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory manages this project. Detailed design, installation of the CO2 compression, dehydration, and transmission system, and installation of related piping, electrical, and instrumentation was completed and commissioning of this system was initiated. The construction of a 100-MW electrical substation, which will supply power to the compressors and other equipment, is in progress. A 2206 m deep monitoring well and a 1083 m geophysical well were drilled. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a draft permit for a Class VI injection well with a capacity to inject 3000 tonnes of CO2 per day. This is expected to be the first geological sequestration project to operate with EPA's Class VI well permit in the U.S. The project is scheduled to begin CO2 injection into the Mount Simon Sandstone, a deep saline reservoir, early 2015. The project team members include Schlumberger Carbon Services, Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS)-University of Illinois, and Richland Community College (RCC). Public education and outreach for CCS is an integral part of this ICCS project and to this end, the project has established the National Sequestration Education Center (NSEC) at RCC in Decatur. NSEC is implementing a new associate degree program, first in the United States, with an emphasis on CCS. This project was recognized by the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum.