By Mari Radtke
Summit Carbon Solutions hosted an informational meeting about its proposed CO2 pipeline planned to run through Cherokee County connecting ethanol partner plants in southwest Iowa with Little Sioux Corn Processors and an east/west pipeline in O’Brien County. Summit Carbon Solutions, created by Summit Agricultural Group of north central Iowa, is expected to be the largest “carbon capture and storage” (CCS) project in the world and operational by 2024. It is referred to as “Midwest Carbon Express.” Summit Carbon Solutions is developing a system of infrastructure for the collection and of carbon dioxide from 33 ethanol plants in five states, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and North and South Dakota, and transporting it to permanent underground storage in North Dakota. Twelve of those ethanol plants are in Iowa, including LSCP. Summit Carbon Solutions is working to reduce the carbon footprint of the partner biorefineries by up to 50 percent and working toward net-zero carbon fuel.
By reducing the partner carbon footprint carbon credits can be used in other activities.
Summit Carbon Solutions held an informational meeting in Cherokee County last week. The informational meeting was a first requirement of Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) before construction permits can be submitted or negotiating for land easements and routing of the pipeline can begin.
Current estimates for the project indicates 703.53 miles of pipeline in 30 Iowa counties. Current plans are for 28.76 in Cherokee County and about 10 miles going into O’Brien County where it connects to the east/west pipeline crossing the county.
The $4.5 billion project expects to create 14,000-17,000 jobs during construction and leave 350-450 permanent jobs in its wake.