Midwest Carbon Express, a carbon-capture project under development by Summit Carbon Solutions, has added Valero as a shipper on its carbon dioxide (CO2) pipeline, the companies announced March 4. With the inclusion of Valero, Summit’s project now includes 57 ethanol production facilities across the Upper Midwest (see map below), from which it wouldcapture and sequester more than 16 million metric tons per annum (MMtpa) of CO2.
Eight of Valero’s ethanol facilities are expected to be incorporated into Summit’s project, boosting potential CO2 sequestration by 3.1 MMtpa. Midwest Carbon Express is designed to capture CO2 from ethanol plants and other industrial sources in Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. The CO2 would be aggregated and transported by pipeline to North Dakota, where it would be permanently sequestered in deep geologic formations. While Summit's project has added several ethanol facilites to the project over the last year, it continues to face the same challenges as similar projects, including often-fierce public opposition and an uncertain regulatory framework.
Valero was previously an anchor shipper on the Heartland Greenway project, which was canceled by developer Navigator CO2 Ventures in October 2023, citing “unpredictable” state regulatory processes as a contributing factor. The project aimed to capture up to 15 MMtpa of CO2 from ethanol producers and other industrial customers in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota, with a sequestration site near Decatur, IL.
