Wyoming CarbonSAFE: Dry Fork Station

The Wyoming CarbonSAFE: Dry Fork Station initiative is a DOE-supported Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise (CarbonSAFE) project led by the University of Wyoming's School of Energy Resources in collaboration with Basin Electric Power Cooperative and others. Kicking off in 2016, its mission is to determine whether the deep geological formations beneath the Dry Fork Station coal-fired power plant (located near Gillette, Wyoming in the Powder River Basin) can securely store at least 50 million metric tons of CO₂. The project has progressed through multiple phases: Phase I conducted pre-feasibility analyses, Phase II included drilling a nearly 10,000-foot test well and obtaining core samples for geological modeling, and Phase III focuses on detailed site characterization, CO₂ capture assessment via MTR's membrane front-end engineering design (FEED), NEPA environmental reviews, and Class VI injection permitting. Funded with over $17 million from the DOE (matched by partner contributions), this collaborative effort includes data collection from seismic surveys, soil and groundwater monitoring, risk and economic analyses, outreach, and regulatory planning to prepare for full commercial deployment. Capture component studies at the adjacent Wyoming Integrated Test Center include building the world’s largest membrane-based CO₂ capture pilot (by MTR) and testing sorbent-based systems with TDA Research—all aimed at achieving high capture rates (90%+) and robust storage capacity. If successful, this project may pave the way for large-scale, cost-effective CCS deployment in Wyoming’s burgeoning CarbonSAFE storage hub