Throughout the United States, the development of commercial-scale carbon capture storage and utilization (CCUS) projects has been a strategic process across multiple phases leading to a succession of projects of increasing scale. Four major CCUS projects in Decatur, Illinois and Terra Haute, Indiana exemplify the strategic pathway defined more than a decade ago by the U.S. Department of Energy – National Technology Laboratory (US DOE). Since 2003, the Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium (MGSC), a US DOE Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership, has been working to define regional CCUS potential, conducting small enhanced oil and enhanced coalbed methane projects, and conducting a large-scale deep saline CCUS storage project. As a direct outcome of the Illinois Basin – Decatur Project (IBDP), a one million tonne storage demonstration, the Illinois Industrial Sources CCUS Project (ICCS) has expanded infrastructure and injection potential to industrial commercial-scale CCuS. Advancing CCUS even further, the CarbonSAFE Macon County and Wabash CarbonSAFE projects seek to conduct characterization leading to the development of a 50 million tonne storage complexes with the potential to receive and store CO2 from multiple sources. These projects combined provide an excellent example of how leveraging research, resources, relationships, and experience can drive CCUS toward commercialization.
