Monday 28 February 2022

ExxonMobil to expand carbon capture and storage at Wyoming facility

ExxonMobil has made a final investment decision to expand its the carbon capture and storage at its LaBarge, Wyoming facility.

The expansion will boost the capture capacity of the facility by up to 1.2 million metric tons of CO2 every year.

LaBarge already captures around six to seven million metric tons of CO2 annually, with the facility claimed to have captured more CO2 than any other facility in the world to date.

ExxonMobil completed the front end engineering and design work for the expansion project in December 2021 and expects to issue the engineering, procurement and construction contracts in March, with startup expected in 2025 following regulatory approvals.

The expansion project is part of the company's 2030 emissions reduction plans and supports its ambition to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions for its operated assets by 2050.

Joe Blommaert, president of ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions said: “Carbon capture and storage is a readily available technology that can play a critical role in helping society reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“By expanding carbon capture and storage at LaBarge, we can reduce emissions from our operations and continue to demonstrate the large-scale capability for carbon capture and storage to address emissions from vital sectors of the global economy, including industrial manufacturing.”

In addition to producing natural gas, ExxonMobil's LaBarge facility is one of the world's largest sources of helium, producing around 20% of global supply.