Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Midwest Carbon Express Carbon Capture and Sequestration Pipeline is making headway!

Happy Tuesday!  We hope you had a chance to enjoy the Spring like weather, today! 

We love a follow-up.  We blogged on Summit Carbon Solutions (SCS) back in March 2023 and the hang-ups they had progressing their CO2 pipeline.  They were in the news earlier in June due to a favorable ruling from North Dakota’s Supreme Court. Then in June 2024, SCS had their construction permit application approved from the Iowa Utilities Board with stipulations including they must get North and South Dakota’s approval of the route and sites in their respective states before starting construction in Iowa as well as a few others before they issue the final permit.  Well, looks like the have progressed more on this interstate CO2 pipeline. (Check out our Blog for SCS previous progress or hiccups!)

Did anyone happen to read the Oil & Gas Journal’s OGJ Daily Update Newsletter on February 21, 2025, their article titled, “Midwest Carbon Express CO2 pipeline makes halting progress”?  The article is on Summit Carbon Solutions who has made further progress on their 2,000-mile liquified CO2 pipeline.  The Midwest Carbon Express Carbon Capture and Sequestration Pipeline has expanded since its original conception it now connects to 17 Iowa ethanol plants, so the five-state pipeline will connect at 57 different tie-in locations.  The Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) which was the Iowa Utilities Board approved SCS’s  688 miles of multi-diameter pipeline in Iowa in June 2024.  A Summit Carbon Solutions has expanded their pipeline by 500-miles with the addition of Poet, LLC and Valero Renewable Fuels Co., LLC, and filed for additional permits with the IUC for the additional 340 miles not pat of the original pipeline, and they had more public landowner meetings for these permits.  IUC has not set the hearing date at this time for either the additional construction permits or the hazardous liquids permit.  Iowa alone will have 1,028 miles of CO2 pipeline.

SCS has made progress in the other four states.  In South Dakota, they have refiled their siting permit application after having the South Dakota Supreme Court rule against them in October 2024.   On the other hand, North Dakota PSC has granted SCS’s pipeline siting permit, nonetheless they have the stipulation South Dakota has to have granted theirs to start building the pipeline. On another high note Minnesota PUC granted their part of the SCS pipeline which connects to North Dakota with the same stipulation.  When SCS’s Midwest Carbon Express CCS Pipeline gets all its ducks in a row for the five states, the project will be built in 14 phases, and it is estimated to take 3 years and they are hoping to begin building by August 2026. 

SCS has proposed an additional pipeline called Otter Tail to Wilken CO2 Pipeline Project which is 28-miles of very small diameter pipeline which will need its own permitting and environmental review which at the end of 2024 the Minnesota application hasn’t been filed.   We wish SCS luck in getting all its rights-of-ways and permits, and its 45Z tax credits.  If you would like to check out the article from the Oil and Gas Journal, please click the link:  Midwest Carbon Express CO2 pipeline makes halting progress | Oil & Gas Journal.

Summit Carbon Solutions’ Midwest Carbon Express CCS Pipeline project is expected to cross five states and cover approximately 2,500 miles.  The pipeline will end in North Dakota where the carbon dioxide will be stored underground in geologic formations.  The Midwest Carbon Express Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Pipeline proposed route. 

Our team of experts have experience in helping you move your liquids to underground storage and navigating the permitting process, so if you would like to start a project contact us today!  Check out our website!

We hope you have a wonderful evening!

**Disclaimer: You may be charged a fee to read the Oil and Gas Journal’s article. **