Advancements in carbon capture in Wyoming’s energy sector featured on 60 Minutes

Carbon capture research and development, and the energy industry in Wyoming, was featured on 60 Minutes on Dec. 10.

The episode featured interviews with Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon and University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources Executive Director Dr. Holly Krutka.

During his interview, Gov. Gordon said he set a goal of making Wyoming not just carbon neutral when it comes to CO₂ emissions, but eventually carbon negative. “It was a bold move and one that was intended to make a difference in the discussion about energy in the future,” he said. Although not everyone agreed, Gordon said the plan was generally well-respected.

Dr. Krutka and her colleagues are focused on taking the CO₂ out of fossil fuels like coal before it reaches the atmosphere, with a technology called carbon capture and storage. Dr. Krutka has spent much of her career focusing on technology and policy pathways to advance carbon capture as well as identifying nontraditional coal-consumption opportunities. “There are carbon capture and storage projects in America working right now. There's just not enough. The capture side, we're there today,” Krutka said.

The Wyoming Integrated Test Center and the Wyoming CarbonSAFE projects are located at Basin Electric’s Dry Fork Station near Gillette, Wyoming. Both projects are under the administration of Krutka and the School of Energy Resources. Dry Fork Station is amongst the newest coal-based facilities in the country, making it an ideal location to host the Integrated Test Center and Wyoming CarbonSAFE projects.

At the Integrated Test Center, two major projects are underway. The Japan Carbon Frontier Organization and its partner Kawasaki Heavy Industries completed construction of their solid sorbent capture technology equipment and testing will be complete in the coming weeks. The project is intended to demonstrate a novel carbon dioxide separation and recovery technology using solid sorbents.

Membrane Technology and Research, another tenant at the Wyoming Integrated Test Center, has begun construction on its large-scale carbon capture pilot project and is expected to be complete in late spring of 2024. Testing is expected to begin in the fall of 2024.

“We want to be part of the solution. We should stop talking about what we shouldn't do and start talking about what we can do and how we can embrace that future. And that's what we're dedicated to here in Wyoming,” Gordon said.