They call it “Carbon ValleyTM” — yes, it’s trademarked, by Energy Capital Economic Development of Gillette, Wyoming, in February 2020. It’s a term that has been used locally by city and county officials, economic developers, and economic advocates, such as at the Campbell County (Wyoming) Chamber of Commerce. It’s meant to describe the goal of turning Campbell County into a global hub for advanced carbon research, development, and commercialization.
Carbon Valley is where the Dry Fork Station takes up residence, and serves as home to two research projects: Wyoming CarbonSAFE and the Integrated Test Center. This area of Wyoming is also home to a carbon dioxide (CO2) pipeline that stretches from southwest Wyoming up into Montana, existing enhanced oil recovery and undeveloped oil fields, and the Wyoming Innovation Center, which supports the coal research conducted by University of Wyoming and School of Energy Resources.
“We are working for Basin Electric to determine what this storage site might look like. At the end of Phase 3 if it looks like it’s operational, we would be handing over the keys. … This project helps remove all the risk for characterizing the subsurface; the U.S. Dept. of Energy is taking that financial risk.”
Scott Quillinan, director of research at the University of Wyoming Research School of Energy Resources
Read the full story from the Fall 2020 issue of Basin Today magazine: Wyoming CarbonSAFE to determine whether carbon dioxide can be stored underground near Dry Fork Station
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