The Southern States Energy Board (SSEB) is leading a coalition of southern universities and technical experts to expand membership of SSEB’s existing Gulf of Mexico government-industry partnership to focus on assembling the knowledge base required for secure, long-term, large-scale carbon dioxide (CO₂) subseafloor storage, with or without enhanced hydrocarbon recovery. The project is known as the Southeast Regional Carbon Storage Partnership: Offshore Gulf of Mexico (SECARB Offshore).

Over the five-year project period, the following primary objectives will be attained:

1. Combine the capabilities and experience of industry, academia, and government to develop and validate key technologies and best practices to ensure safe, long-term, economically-viable CO₂ storage in offshore environments, which includes collaborating and coordinating with international organizations such as the IEA Greenhouse Gas (IEAGHG) R&D Programme, the Carbon Storage Leadership Forum (CSLF), and the Global CCS Institute.
2. Facilitate the subsequent development of technology-focused permitting processes needed by industry and regulators (e.g., Department of Interior and BOEM).
3. Collaborate with Federal and State agency programs to improve the confidence in containment of CO₂ in the subseafloor offshore environment in storage reservoirs over both short and long timeframes.
4. Provide a comprehensive assessment of the potential to implement offshore CO₂ storage in the defined GOM Study Area.

SSEB will serve as the overall lead for the project. To perform the work, SSEB is partnering with Advanced Resources International, Aker Solutions, Battelle Memorial Institute, Gerald R. Hill Ph.D., Inc., Geological Survey of Alabama, IOM Law, Louisiana State University, Oklahoma State University, Pale Blue Dot, SAS Institute, Schlumberger, University of South Carolina, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University.

The SECARB Offshore project will be underway for five years, beginning on April 1, 2018.

Technical Team Page