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Released March 08, 2024 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Ethanol production results in substantial carbon emissions, so when leading U.S. ethanol producer Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) (San Antonio, Texas) established long-term emissions-reduction goals, its more immediate milestones were for emissions reduction in the company's refining, rather than ethanol, sector. Nevertheless, Valero has set a companywide goal of reducing its overall emissions by 45 million metric tons by 2050.

When Dallas, Texas-based Navigator Energy Services LLC proposed its Heartland Greenway carbon capture and sequestration system in the U.S. Midwest, Valero signed on as an anchor shipper for the pipeline and storage facility, with eight of its regional ethanol plants to be part of the system. Navigator's carbon-capture pipeline system was to span 1,200 miles over five states. So, when Navigator cancelled the project last October, Valero, along with other ethanol producers, was left without a solution for carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions reduction from its ethanol plants.

This week, however, Valero announced that it has signed on to another carbon-capture pipeline system, Summit Carbon Solutions LLC's (Ames, Iowa) proposed Midwest Carbon Express capture system, which is planned to span Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota, where Summit proposes situating its sequestration site.

Valero has now signed on for eight of its ethanol plants to be part of the system: one each in Nebraska, Minnesota and South Dakota, and five in Iowa. In a press release regarding the Valero agreement, Summit stated, "Participation from these eight facilities adds 1.1 billion gallons of ethanol per year and will lead to the capture of 3.1 million metric tons of CO2 annually." With the inclusion of Valero, Summit's project now extends to 57 ethanol plants across the upper Midwest, from which it will capture and sequester more than 16 million metric tons of CO2 per year.

Valero joins the system along other with other regional ethanol producers, including POET LLC (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), which in January signed on all of its plants in South Dakota and Iowa, resulting in 4.7 million metric tons of sequestered carbon annually.

Construction on Summit's system could potentially begin this year, putting it on track for a 2026 completion, but the company must first clear some additional regulatory hurdles. The plants that POET would like to sign on in Iowa are not part of Summit's original route and will require another permit application in that state. The company cleared a significant hurdle last month, when North Dakota regulators ruled that local cities and counties cannot override state plans and restrict where the project is built.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Pipeline Project Database can click here for related reports on the project.

While Summit's system is the largest planned carbon pipeline project in the U.S., several similar projects of varying sizes are being proposed throughout the country. Among the largest of these is Wolf Midstream Incorporated's proposed sequestration system in Iowa. As planned, the 260-mile pipeline would connect to Archer-Daniels-Midland Company's (NYSE:ADM) (ADM) (Chicago, Illinois) plants in Cedar Rapids and Clinton, Iowa, transporting it to an existing ADM carbon sequestration site in Decatur, Illinois. Construction could begin this year, putting the pipeline on track for completion in late 2025. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the related project reports.

ADM is part of another Iowa carbon pipeline project--this one involving the conversion of an existing natural gas pipeline to carry carbon dioxide. Tallgrass Energy Partners (Leawood, Kansas) began the conversion of the Nebraska portion of the pipeline late last year, with work in Wyoming planned to start later this year, along with construction of two grassroot pipeline laterals in Nebraska. The pipeline is intended to serve as the backbone of a regional carbon capture and storage system and will take CO2 from ADM's complex in Columbus, Nebraska, among others, and sequester about 10 million tons per year at a permanent storage facility planned for southeastern Wyoming. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project reports on the pipeline conversion and sequestration hub.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here to view reports for many of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).

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