ARVADA, Colo. & BRIDGEPORT, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Carbon America, the first vertically integrated carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) super developer, announced today an agreement with Bridgeport Ethanol, LLC to develop a carbon capture and storage project in Nebraska. The project will capture and store approximately 175,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) per year, equivalent to 95 percent of total emissions from the ethanol facility’s fermentation process. This is the first commercial project of its kind in the state of Nebraska.
“We look forward to permanently removing 175,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually from the Bridgeport Ethanol plant, equivalent to taking 38,043 passenger vehicles off the road. And with new federal funding for carbon capture and sequestration projects – through the Inflation Reduction Act – carbon removal projects will play an even larger role helping the United States achieve our emission reduction goals,” said Brent Lewis, CEO and Co-Founder of Carbon America. “The Bridgeport carbon capture and storage project will safely divert CO₂ to a secure underground facility, benefiting local communities and the environment.”
This is Carbon America’s third agreement this year to finance, build, own and operate CCS systems at ethanol facilities. As the second largest ethanol-producing state in the U.S., this project marks an important milestone for the Nebraska ethanol industry. The project will enable Bridgeport Ethanol, LLC to reduce the carbon intensity of ethanol production, and increase their competitiveness in the market.
“Bridgeport Ethanol is pleased to be a leader in producing low carbon ethanol,” said Dave Kramer, President and Founding Member of Bridgeport Ethanol, LLC. “We look forward to working with Carbon America to reduce our carbon emissions at the Bridgeport ethanol plant. Carbon capture and storage increases the value of Bridgeport ethanol in the marketplace. Our ethanol and distillers grains are important contributors to our local farming and cattle business economics and we are constantly looking for ways to improve our products and their competitiveness.”
Carbon America plans to install carbon capture equipment that will extract CO₂ from the ethanol production process and transfer the gas via a new carbon dioxide pipeline to an underground geologic sequestration site near the plant. The sequestration site is rigorously designed to comply with Federal Class VI and California Air Resource Board Low Carbon Fuel Standard Permanency requirements.
“Biofuels have a vital role in providing a secure and environmentally friendly domestic supply of energy. Adding carbon capture and sequestration into the process of producing ethanol brings value to Nebraska. Capture and sequestration of carbon enhances the environmental benefits of ethanol by reducing the carbon footprint of liquid fueled vehicles,” said Steve Wellman, Director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. “This project will further ensure ethanol saves drivers money at the pump, cleans up our environment, and creates opportunities for our farmers and ranchers.”
Carbon America is working closely with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and multiple Nebraska regulatory agencies to ensure the project meets all environmental regulations. Carbon America expects the first injection to begin in 2024.
“This carbon capture and sequestration project, and others like it, is another example of the innovation and growth the ethanol industry brings to our state,” said Anthony Goins, Director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. “Nebraska ethanol facilities produce over 2.2 billion gallons of ethanol annually. According to a recent University of Nebraska – Lincoln study ethanol production delivers more than $4.04 billion of ethanol and co-products and an overall impact to our economy of over $4.5 billion. The economic development created by ethanol production creates jobs in rural Nebraska and is a primary driver to growing Nebraska.”
“Carbon America’s carbon capture and sequestration facility for the Bridgeport Ethanol plant is the first project of its kind planned in Nebraska that we believe will support our state’s vibrant ethanol and agriculture industries,” said Dawn Caldwell, Executive Director of Renewable Fuels Nebraska. “Expanding carbon capture and sequestration in Nebraska will help our farmers and ethanol producers participate in the growing market for low-carbon plant-based fuels, while also benefiting the environment.”
Please send comments and questions about the projects to Carbon America at https://www.carbonamerica.com/contact-us.
About Carbon America
Carbon America is a vertically integrated super developer of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects with a mission to accelerate deployment for wide-scale climate change mitigation. For more information, visit www.carbonamerica.com/.
About Bridgeport Ethanol LLC
Bridgeport Ethanol, LLC is owned by local investors that include farmers, ranchers and business people that primarily reside in Nebraska and Colorado. We produce low carbon-intensity ethanol for mixing with gasoline from locally grown corn and supply nutritious distiller’s grains to local animal feed operations. For more information visit http://www.bridgeportethanol.com/.
