Coal Creek Carbon Capture

The Coal Creek Carbon Capture project, part of the U.S. DOE's CarbonSAFE initiative, is focused on designing and characterizing a geologic storage complex in central North Dakota capable of securely sequestering up to 200 million metric tons of CO₂. Led by the EERC in collaboration with Rainbow Energy Center (REC), the project targets CO₂ emissions from both the Coal Creek Station power plant and the nearby Blue Flint ethanol facility. In its initial stage, the project advances site investigation through analysis of existing seismic data, geologic modeling, and simulation of CO₂ injection scenarios to inform the placement and design of a stratigraphic test well. In the next stage, pending DOE support, the effort shifts to full characterization, including 3D seismic surveys, coring, well logging, baseline water sampling, followed by development of regulatory-class permits, pipeline front-end engineering, and environmental review