U.S. Energy Department Seeks Input on Carbon Transport and Storage Initiatives

The U.S Energy Department’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) issued requests for information to implement initiatives to expand carbon dioxide transport and deploy field labs for carbon storage. The two RFIs pertain to the Future Growth Grants under the Carbon Dioxide Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation, or CIFIA program, and the expansion of field laboratories at carbon storage facilities through the Carbon Storage Technology Operations and Research, or CarbonSTORE, initiative.

As part of the CIFIA Future Growth Grants program, the FECM and the Loan Programs Office are coordinating to offer financing that will assist the expansion of local and national carbon dioxide transport infrastructure to speed up the utilization and expansion of carbon capture and storage projects. The source of funding for the CIFIA program would be from direct loans, loan guarantees, and grants. The proposal is projected to be a vital driver in the construction of common-carrier carbon dioxide hauling infrastructure with substantial capability all over the nation. Important aspects in the infrastructure program include pipelines, rail transport, ships, barges, ground shipping, as well as storage facilities.

Funded by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the CIFIA program aims to create an organized carbon management ecosystem in the domestic market that transports carbon dioxide from point sources to conversion and storage facilities. Moreover, the funding will enable the implementation of various carbon management technologies such as direct air capture, carbon capture from industrial production, carbon capture from electricity generation, carbon conversion, carbon dioxide transportation, and storage innovations.

The CarbonSTORE RFI requires input on the best methods and alternatives for enhancing field laboratories. These enhancements could be at Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise, or CarbonSAFE, initiative storage sites or new locations, to facilitate the speedy expansion of field testing of technologies that would assist a resilient and inexpensive carbon capture and storage industry. If financed by the U.S. Energy Department, the CarbonSTORE initiative will provide support to operators of facilities and assistance to researchers, so that they can accelerate the growth of technologies to improve infrastructure, in order to create a number of CarbonSTORE facilities.

Comments on the CIFIA Future Growth Grants and CarbonSTORE initiatives are due by Jan. 17 and Jan. 9, 2023, respectively.