Evaluating underground carbon storage in South Florida

The Atlantic Coast CO₂ Emissions Storage Sink (Project ACCESS) is evaluating the potential for underground carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Led by the Southern States Energy Board, the project brings together industry, university, and research partners to determine whether the region’s geology can support safe, permanent storage of CO₂ captured from nearby industrial facilities.

Selected through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise (CarbonSAFE) Phase II program, Project ACCESS focuses on storage feasibility. Its findings will help guide decisions about a potential commercial carbon capture and storage (CCS) hub at Titan America’s Pennsuco Plant.

A Potential Storage Solution for Regional Industry

Miami-Dade County’s Lake Belt Mining District includes cement plants, waste facilities, and power plants that collectively emit approximately 7.5 million metric tons of CO₂ annually. Capturing 90 percent of those emissions could keep more than 6.6 million metric tons of CO₂ out of the atmosphere each year, provided suitable transportation and permanent storage infrastructure is developed.

Several nearby facilities have committed to support Project ACCESS, representing enough potential CO₂ supply to meet CarbonSAFE program requirements. A successful storage hub could support emissions reductions across the region’s limestone mining and cement industries and provide a model for similar cement facilities elsewhere.

Project Progress & Next Steps

The project has established a team of technical partners, secured support from nearby CO₂ sources, and identified field investigations needed to evaluate the proposed storage site. Fieldwork, including two-dimensional seismic surveys and test well drilling, is expected to begin in fall 2026.

Seismic data will help researchers examine underground rock formations. A test well will provide rock samples, well logs, and testing results to assess the properties of potential storage formations and the overlying layers that would help contain CO₂. The team will incorporate these findings into computer models to evaluate storage suitability and inform future site design.

Planning for Future Development

Alongside the geologic evaluation, Project ACCESS will develop plans for potential storage infrastructure, commercial development, monitoring, risk management, and community outreach. The team will identify additional data needed to support future Underground Injection Control (UIC) Class VI permitting and work with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on applicable environmental and permitting requirements.

Project findings will also support workforce development and inform future CO₂ storage projects. If the feasibility study confirms suitable conditions, Project ACCESS could establish a foundation for a new carbon storage option in South Florida.

Project Partners

The Southern States Energy Board leads Project ACCESS in partnership with Titan America (site host), Virginia Tech, Advanced Resources International, Crescent Resource Innovation, Florida International University, and the U.S. Geological Survey.