Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is rapidly transforming the way carbon emissions are reduced. In regions with heavy manufacturing and fossil-fuel power plants, CCS could be essential to sustain operations while managing emissions. Louisiana, Wyoming, West Virginia, North Dakota, Arizona, and Texas have secured Class VI primacy, accelerating the permitting process and opening the door for more CCS deployment. “We’re at a pivotal moment, and states aren’t hesitating to dive in,” says Stephanie Hill, national expert in carbon sequestration and deep well injection at SCS Engineers.
Stephanie advises interested parties to pay attention to CCS trends, which shape staff hiring, Class VI permit processing, and the modeling and monitoring required to support long-term project success.
As leaders in CCS, SCS Engineers has spent over a decade tracking technology advances and regulatory shifts. Now, we’re inviting you to join our free webinar series, where our team will break down the top five CCS trends shaping the future and what they mean for your organization. Whether you’re a state regulator, policymaker, utility manager, or industry executive, these carbon sequestration sessions will equip you with the knowledge to make informed, confident decisions in this rapidly evolving landscape. Here’s a sneak peek at what you’ll learn:
Trend 1: Using Advanced Critical Pressure Modeling to Shrink the Area of Review
Securing a Class VI well permit for CCS hinges on accurately defining the Area of Review (AoR), the underground zone where injected CO2 might impact drinking water sources. The traditional approach relies on a simplified, conservative pressure calculation. But this method can overestimate the AoR by 50 to 100 square miles, inflating project costs, pore‑space needs, monitoring requirements, and stakeholder engagement footprints.
“There’s a better way,” explains Dr. Charles Hostetler, senior project advisor and modeling SME at SCS Engineers. Our advanced critical pressure model tracks the evolution of brine pressures. The result is a more precise and realistic AoR.”
Trend 2: Accounting for Project Interference
Depending on geologic conditions, the pressure front created by CCS deep-well injection can influence conditions well beyond the CO2 plume boundary. With these forces at work, multiple injection projects within the same hydraulically connected reservoir can lead to overlapping pressure fields in the pore space, which could increase the AoR and the risk of CO2-brine migration into the USDW.
As use of CCS deep well injection grows, so does the challenge of accounting for pressures associated with Class I, II, and VI wells in the same region, including those installed or discovered after the AoR was first determined.
SCS Engineers has a plan for that. “When you design your model, think of the bigger picture,” says Charles. “A large, dynamic model allows integration of CO2 and pressure data from neighboring wells to predict potential influence on the AoR.”
Trend 3: Supplemental Permitting: Endangered Species Act (ESA)
Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a regulatory authority must account for both direct and indirect impacts of Class VI projects. But it is challenging to determine how a project located 3,000 feet below ground might affect the habitat and populations of animals and plants above ground.
SCS Engineers is meeting that challenge by evaluating the relationship between deep subsurface CO2 injection and reasonably certain surface impacts.
“This evaluation will help standardize Class VI operations and species interactions, streamline and accelerate the review process, and develop direct links between projects, impacts, and mitigation,” says Charles.
As CCS activity grows, ESA and NEPA supplemental permitting is emerging as a critical component of project readiness.
Trend 4: Representing Well Corrosion in Modeling
Localized and uniform corrosion of the injection well could create potential leakage pathways for the CO2 plume. Applicants rely on corrosion modeling to anticipate when and where well materials may begin to degrade and to select compatible construction materials for the well.
“The drawback is that model predictions only go so far,” says Stephanie. “That’s why we turn to real-world data for AoR models.”
Working with a metallurgy lab, SCS Engineers obtained a forensic analysis of a real-world tubing failure that was predicted to withstand anticipated conditions. This insight helps account for model uncertainty, which could prevent tubing failure and the incurred costs of operational downtime and tubing replacement.
As more Class VI wells come online, data‑driven well integrity modeling is becoming an essential protective measure.
Trend 5: Integrative Monitoring for AoR Re-evaluation
Compliance with CCS regulations requires monitoring the CO2 plume spread and recalibrating the AoR every 5 years. “Integrated monitoring programs that use multiple methods are trending,” says Tara Gross, project advisor on the SCS Deep Well Initiative Team.
Early baseline data lay the foundation for monitoring and defining how AoR models are recalibrated going forward. Data gathered during pre-injection testing, such as well integrity and seismic, groundwater, surface, and subsurface conditions, are essential to support time-based comparisons, identify subtle subsurface changes, and track plume behavior over time.
Innovate with SCS Engineers
Join Stephanie, Charles, Tara, and other SCS national experts in upcoming webinars to stay ahead of industry trends and avoid costly surprises as CCS projects move from concept to execution!
Watch the Carbon Sequestration Webinar Series here!
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