Chevron Adds Carbon Capture Projects in California, Texas

(Credit: Chevron)

Chevron has been active in carbon capture projects and is aiming to reduce the carbon intensity of its operations in San Joaquin Valley, California, by launching a carbon capture and storage project there; the company has also closed on a joint venture for a hub in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Texas.

The company is aiming to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emitted per unit of energy produced at its Kern River Eastridge cogeneration plant in California and has acquired a 50% stake in the Bayou Bend carbon capture and sequestration hub. The latter includes paying $50 million to Talos and Carbonvert for the stake in the joint venture.

The Bayou Bend project has the potential to sequester 225 million to 275 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, according to the joint venture, and is the first offshore lease in the United States dedicated to carbon sequestration. Talos and Carbonvert will each have a 25% stake in the venture.

For the Kern County, California, project Chevron says it will install carbon dioxide post-combustion capture equipment, which will capture the carbon and safely store it thousands of feet underground. Chevron is also looking at other ways to lower the carbon intensity of its San Joaquin Valley operations, including blending hydrogen with natural gas in combustion and perhaps other technologies, such as geothermal.

Last year the company pledged to lower carbon emissions throughout its operations by 5% and invest up to $8 billion in low-carbon initiatives by 2028. Part of that plan is to also be net zero in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2050.

Carbon capture and storage has the potential to capture up to 90% of carbon emissions from industrial facilities, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. Carbon capture projects are increasingly a focus of net zero efforts, including the US Department of Energy funding a Rio Tinto-led project in Minnesota and a $250 million effort called Summit Carbon Solutions, which is said to be one of the world’s largest and spans several states in the Midwestern US.

Chevron highlighted the potential of carbon capture in the Kern River area, including a report by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory that revealed geological storage sites in California which could help the state be carbon neutral. That 2020 report specifically mentioned the region as a promising carbon capture site due to its geologic and subsurface characteristics in addition to existing oil and natural gas production.

Chevron has applied for a conditional use permit with the Kern County Planning and Natural Resources Department to implement the project. The company says it is also studying additional carbon capture technology for possible future projects for the company and other industries.

Chevron recently withdrew an application for another carbon capture site in California after the EPA said the proposal was incomplete, according to Reuters. The project with Schlumberger was located near Fresno and had the capacity to remove 300,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year.