Fossil fuel multinational Chevron has announced it will be expanding the Bayou Bend carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) project in Southeast Texas.
The expansion will take place via the acquisition of some 100,000 acres onshore in Jefferson and Chambers counties, which will put Bayou Bend CCS projects on the path to becoming of the United States’ largest carbon storage projects to date.
Previously, Chevron announced the acquisition of roughly 40,000 acres offshore Port Arthur and Beaumont, Texas, bringing the combined space to almost 140,000 acres dedicated to permanent storage of carbon dioxide.
As a result, the Bayou Bend project will now be able to store over one billion metric tons of CO2, making it a critical solution for one of the nation’s largest industrial corridors.
The Bayou Bend project is a joint venture between Talos Energy, through the company’s Talos Low Carbon Solutions division, Chevron, via its Chevron New Energies division, and Carbonvert Inc.
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As of this month, Chevron is the operator of the CCS project.
Initially, the project was designed by Talos Energy and Carbonvert to inject between 225 million tons and 275 million tons of carbon dioxide from industrial emitters over a period of 25-30 years.
Chevron joined in May 2022 after buying a 50% stake in Bayou Bend when expansion plans started to take shape and the original storage capacity has now been increased nearly four times.
Chambers County Judge Jimmy Sylvia said: “The expansion of Bayou Bend into Chambers County presents the region with a significant opportunity to ensure the continued economic vitality of the eastern Houston Ship Channel, Mont Belvieu area and eastern Chambers County for years to come. We look forward to our partnership with the developers.”
Read more: Talos Energy To Set Up Carbon Capture Hub In Mississippi River
How many jobs will be created by this?