By Nick Pedley
News Editor 

A different kind of pipeline?

Summit Carbon Solutions unveils plans for new CO2 pipeline that would cross several counties in northwest Iowa

 

September 30, 2021

SUBMITTED GRAPHIC

If approved, Summit Carbon Solutions' pipeline would connect ethanol plants in Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota.

Dubbing it a "unique opportunity for biofuels and agriculture," the company behind a proposed pipeline that would pass through O'Brien and Clay counties is aiming to reduce CO2 emissions and create jobs in the Upper Midwest.

Ames-based Summit Carbon Solutions is leading the project that would connect 31 ethanol plants in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota. The company is currently holding meetings in Iowa to inform landowners and the public about details of the $4.5 billion investment.

The proposal needs the blessing of the Iowa Utilities Board before it can proceed and break ground in the Hawkeye State. Jesse Harris, a spokesman for Summit Carbon Solutions, said the project would create between 14,000 and 17,000 jobs during construction and between 350 and 460 permanent, full-time jobs once it's operational.

"This is proven technology that will help provide a significant boost to ethanol and agriculture across Iowa and the Midwest," he said. "This project represents a substantial economic opportunity for these facilities, as it will put the ethanol they produce on track to be a net zero fuel by the end of the decade."

Carbon capture technology is used to reduce CO2 emissions at high-volume contributing facilities like ethanol, fertilizer and power plants. CO2 is the primary cause of global warming, and many governments across the globe – the United States included – have set reduction targets over the next three decades to slash emissions.

According to Summit Carbon Solutions, the pipeline would remove 12 million metric tons of CO2 each year, making it the largest carbon capture and storage operation in the world. That's equivalent to removing emissions from 2.6 million cars each year and is the same amount of carbon stored by 14.7 million acres of forest.

Once captured from the partnering ethanol plants, CO2 would be compressed and transported via pipeline to North Dakota, where it would be injected a mile below ground into "highly-researched geologic formations" and locked for millions of years.

Area facilities that would be connected to the pipeline include Green Plains in Dickinson County, Little Sioux Corn Processors in Cherokee County, Quad County Corn Processors in Ida County and Siouxland Energy Cooperative in Sioux County.

"This will allow them to access and sell their product at a premium in markets with low carbon fuel standards," Harris said. "This will also benefit corn growers across the Midwest who currently sell about 40 percent of their products to ethanol plants."

Summit Carbon Solutions will need easements from landowners along the route to construct the pipeline. Harris did not comment on whether the company would use eminent domain procedures if voluntary easements prove troublesome.

"Summit Carbon Solutions is an Iowa-based company with deep roots in agriculture," he said. "We are committed to working in partnership with landowners and our goal is to rely on voluntary agreements that provide value to the landowner while allowing the project to continue moving forward."

As far as the land easements themselves, the company plans to utilize third-party sources to determine fair market value in each county and offer landowners 100 percent of that value for a voluntary easement. After the project is constructed, landowners will continue to be able to use the land as they had before, Harris said.

The company has also pledged to provide compensation to landowners for crop damages, including 100 percent the first year, 80 percent the second year and 60 percent the third year. Additionally, Summit Carbon Solutions has promised to work with each landowner to repair or replace drain tile wherever it is impacted by the construction of the project.

SENTINEL-NEWS FILE PHOTO

Landowners affected by the proposed pipeline's route will be able to use their ground as they did prior to construction when the project is finished.

The route of the project is tentative. In O'Brien County, current plans call for the pipeline to run east and west traversing through the entire county between Primghar and Paullina. Another line will connect to the aforementioned route running north and south between Paullina and the border with Sioux County. In all, the proposed pipeline in O'Brien County would total 33.84 miles.

In Clay County, the pipeline's main route would run east and west through the entire county just south of Royal but slightly north of the communities of Rossie, Greenville and Gillett Grove. Another line would run north and south east of Dickens and would connect with the east/west route near Gillett Grove. The total length of anticipated pipeline in Clay County is 41.76 miles.

The actual pipeline itself will range from four inches to 24 inches in diameter and will be buried at least four feet underground, Harris said. Construction on the project is hoped to start in 2023 and last between 12-15 months. Summit Carbon Solutions hopes the system will be in operation sometime in 2024.

 
 

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