Summit gets Iowa approval of 18-million tpy CO2 pipeline

Summit Carbon Solutions has received Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) approval of its 18-million tonne/year Midwest Carbon Express carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) pipeline project. The approval comes on the heels of what Summit termed successful reapplication hearings for its permit for the same project before the North Dakota Public Service Commission.  

The IUB admitted tens of thousands of pages of testimony and exhibits and heard testimony from more than 200 witnesses in determining that Midwest Carbon Express was consistent with public convenience and necessity. Summit, however, is prohibited from beginning construction in Iowa until it “has obtained agency level approval for a route and sequestration site in North Dakota and a route in South Dakota,” according to IUB’s final decision and order.

“The momentum will continue as we prepare to file our South Dakota permit application in early July,” said Lee Blank, chief executive officer of Summit Carbon Solutions. “We look forward to engaging with the state throughout this process and are confident in a successful outcome.” 

Summit Carbon Solutions is partnering with 57 ethanol plants across five states and says it has signed voluntary easement agreements with 75% of Iowa landowners along the pipeline’s route. The IUB would still need to separately approve recent project expansions to include CO₂ from POET LLC and Valero Renewable Fuels Co. LLC in the pipeline (OGJ Online, June 5, 2024). Sources expect a public hearing on these routes in fourth-quarter 2024.