GILLETTE, Wyo. — The Integrated Test Center, a carbon capture and utilization test center which lies north of Gillette, has a new manager.
Instead of being under the Wyoming Energy Authority, the University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources will take charge.
The center, which is at Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s Dry Fork Station, provides space for researchers to test carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies with coal-based flue gas.
Gov. Mark Gordon said in a UW School of Energy Resources blog post that the management transfer will benefit the center.
“SER’s research objectives and long-standing relationship with the Department of Energy will open up new funding opportunities,” Gordon said. “Under the guidance of SER, the ITC will show Wyoming is serious about practical and workable carbon-management solutions that reduce CO2 emissions while simultaneously promoting responsible, reliable and affordable energy from fossil fuels.”
The center’s current tenants include Kawasaki Heavy Industries and partner Japan Carbon Frontier Organization, which are working to advance their solid sorbent capture technology, and California-based Membrane Technology and Research, which will begin its membrane carbon capture technology project as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s large-scale pilot carbon capture program, the post said. MTR is collaborating with Wyoming stakeholders on a large-scale front-end engineering design study and the Wyoming CarbonSAFE project led by SER. The Wyoming CarbonSAFE project is focused on commercial-scale CO2 storage. KHI and JCOAL have launched construction activities. MTR onsite work will begin soon.
“In addition to raising the profile of Wyoming as a leader in carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies and research, testing conducted at the facility will help support jobs and both local and state economies — and, in the long term, will help electricity generation remain reliable and affordable through the implementation of promising technologies tested at the site, paired with Wyoming’s abundant natural resources,” the post said.
SER Executive Director Holly Krutka said her team has and will continue to collaborate with Integrated Test Center stakeholders.
“The ITC is an important component of Wyoming’s overall approach to carbon management and is a success story that supports development of new technologies aimed at driving down costs for carbon capture,” Krutka said.
The ITC is one of the two testing facilities in the nation that can help developers test and scale their technologies for commercial deployment, according to ITC Managing Director Jason Begger.
“The commitment to advancing carbon-management solutions across Wyoming institutions is steadfast; the ITC team is excited to work with SER and complement the work of their current programs to advance the suite of carbon capture, utilization and storage solutions that will ensure long-term use of Wyoming’s energy resources,” Begger said in the post.
The change in management of the facility will not affect any current projects or tenants, the post said.