One of Canada’s largest independent oil and gas companies, Enerplus Resources has just received a $1 million grant to capture CO2 from internal combustion engines that are used in the oil production process.
The grant was approved by North Dakota’s Industrial Commission, and the funding itself comes from the Clean Sustainable Energy Authority.
As explained by Clean Sustainable Energy Authority director Al Anderson, remote oil wells, or those that have just entered into use, require the use of power generators for electricity, whether it be for lighting, artificial lift or other purposes.
As is at the moment, the exhausts from these power generators are released directly into the atmosphere and account for nearly 25% of Enerplus’ total CO2 emissions.
Hence, Enerplus is now working together with a technology provider to build modular carbon capture units that would help reduce those emissions.
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The captured CO2 would then be liquefied and either injected underground or used for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Other potential utilization options for liquefied carbon dioxide may also be considered.
The project was deemed appropriate for funding, Anderson said, based on the “Environmental, Social and Governance” standards for investment.
Most of the company’s assets are located on the Fort Berthold reservation. And Enerplus hopes that the project will prove economically viable in order to help curb the oil and gas industry’s carbon footprint at large.
Read more: Oil And Gas Pipelines To Be Repurposed For Carbon Capture
