BEATRICE – Gage County officials received an update on a carbon capture project in Nebraska, where C-O-two emitted from ethanol or other biofuel plants would be piped underground to a storage facility in Wyoming.


Scott Prestridge is a Manager of Tallgrass Energy…and says the Trailblazer project involves keeping natural gas pipeline transport in Gage County…emptying some portions of natural gas pipeline, converting some sections or building new sections for C-O-two transport.


"The conversion work is now underway. So, the pipeline was emptied of natural gas this summer...we have since, just a couple of weeks ago...started construction in Fillmore County, working our way west to Wyoming. That includes upgrading valves that already exists on the pipeline, adding new valves....and also starting construction on the CO-two laterals...the gathering infrastructure, that will connect with the local ethanol plants."


Prestridge says one C-O-two lateral line is under construction in Fillmore County and will extend into York County….where it will connect with biofuels operations.


"We'll see construction of some of those other CO-two laterals through the course of the winter. Our intention is to stay outside the growing season for the vast majority of that construction." There is a carbon sequestration hub under construction in southeastern Wyoming, along with a half-dozen sequestration wells that will connect with pipelines.


"We have construction essentially takng place on Trailblazer itself, the CO-two pipe and the valve work along that main line. We have construction underway for the CO-two laterals that will essentially gather the CO-two and connect to the pipeline...and we have construction underway for the sequestration hub. I would consider all of that as sort of phase one of this project. We've very excited to see it underway. We expect that if everything tracks as planned, if the weather is cooperative, we expect to be operational on this part of the project, by June or July of this next year."


Prestridge says a subsequent phase would involve connections to various plants and constructing additional sequestration wells…including one applied for, near Kimball, Nebraska.


The overall project has included money awarded to several volunteer fire departments across Nebraska along with lease and royalty payments to landowners.


In some areas, the lateral C-O-two pipelines follow the route of the natural gas pipelines…but others do not.