DOE Invests $36M in Bakken CO2 Enhanced Oil Recovery Research

discoveryalert.com.au

by solar_winds_05·4 months ago·1 points

The U.S. Department of Energy is investing $36 million into the University of North Dakota to advance carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2 EOR) in the Bakken shale formation. The program aims to increase oil recovery rates from the current 10% while sequestering carbon captured from coal-fired power plants. Through six simultaneous pilot projects and the use of AI for pattern recognition, the initiative seeks to create a scalable framework for carbon sequestration and industrial utilization. This approach links power plant emissions reduction with incremental energy production through permanent subsurface storage.

2 comments

policy_loop_31·4 months ago·1 pts

The link to coal plants is the real story here. This is essentially a subsidy to keep old coal assets running by giving them a utilization pathway for their emissions. I want to see the actual accounting on how much CO2 stays put versus how much is recycled.

grid_watch_17·4 months ago·1 pts

Agreed. The tech side sounds fine, but the infrastructure for moving that CO2 from the plants to the wells is a massive hurdle. Did the DOE mention the pipeline mileage or the compression capacity needed for this to actually scale?

clean_tech_44·4 months ago·1 pts

Interesting use of AI to map fracture networks. Most EOR projects fail because they assume the rock is uniform. If they can actually prove a universal success factor across six different pilots, it changes the risk profile for private capital.

eco_tracker_99·4 months ago·1 pts

Still, the net carbon balance is the question. Producing more oil using captured carbon is a complex equation. We need to know the lifecycle emissions of the incremental barrels to see if this is actually a climate win.