Class VI Carbon Sequestration Project
Trihydro is part of a team supporting permitting and baseline testing and monitoring for a carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) project in US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7.
Our team is responsible for preparing the Class VI carbon sequestration well permit application and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) site/project certification package for an ethanol producer in EPA Region 7. Our team also designed and implemented this project’s surface and shallow baseline testing and monitoring programs.
Implementing Testing and Monitoring Programs
Trihydro designed and implemented surface and shallow baseline testing and monitoring programs that included eco-vegetation, soil efflux, soil gas, passive seismic, and groundwater monitoring.
The eco-vegetation field survey and remote sensing monitoring program are based on a digital vegetation survey that a field ecologist team verified. Soil efflux measurements are collected from soil collars to establish the baseline soil carbon dioxide (CO2) flux rates into the atmosphere across the project site. The soil gas and groundwater monitoring programs include a combination of routine “grab” sample collection for laboratory analyses and continuous sensors monitored remotely. Annual satellite imagery monitoring will track vegetation changes that may have been caused by CO2 leakage.
Developing a Class VI Permit Application and CARB Certifications
EPA deemed our initial Class VI permit application administratively complete in 2023. It is now in the technical review stage of the permit approval process. Trihydro submitted the CARB certification packages in 2024.
Upon approval of the Class VI permit and CARB certifications, we will use our monitoring data along with CO2 injection and monitoring information to satisfy (1) the Class VI requirements, (2) the Subpart RR monitoring, reporting, and verification plan, (3) the IRS 45Q tax incentive program, and (4) the CARB low-carbon fuel standard compliance reporting program. Trihydro incorporates this data from the ongoing baseline monitoring programs into a secure web-based management system to assist with long-term data management requirements.
