Redesigned CCS Website Offers Wealth of Information on Worldwide Technology, Projects

Washington, DC - A wealth of information about worldwide carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies and projects is available on the newly launched, updated and redesigned National Carbon Sequestration Database and Geographic Information System (NATCARB) website.

NATCARB is an interactive virtual encyclopedia of key CCS information, including locations and information on field projects, a map of all publically announced worldwide CCS projects and their status; and the complete latest edition of NETL’s assessment of carbon storage resource potential in the United States and portions of Canada.

CCS--capturing greenhouse gases from large stationary sources, such as power plants and refineries, and storing them in ways that prevent their release to the atmosphere--is a promising technological solution for helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change.

The updated site integrates new features and was specifically designed to make it easily accessible for public viewing and use. Among the highlights presented in a tabbed format:

• Location and links to CCS projects undertaken by the Energy Department’s seven Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships (RCSPs). The partnerships form a nationwide network that is determining the most suitable technologies, regulations, and infrastructure for CCS deployment in different areas of the United States and portions of Canada.
• An interactive version of data contained in the 2010 Carbon Sequestration of the United States and Canada - Third Edition. Released in November 2010, this edition among other things documents up to 5,700 years of carbon storage resource potential in the United States and portions of Canada. The layers in the NATCARB viewer show the unmineable coal areas, oil and gas reservoirs, saline formations, and sedimentary basins that provide this storage potential, as well as the locations of CO2 stationary sources.
• The locations of small- and large-scale CCS field projects with links for more information, including the 10 site characterization projects funded by the Department of Energy as part of the Recovery Act. CCS field projects are designed to demonstrate that geologic formations in the United States and Canada have the capability to store thousands of years of CO2 emissions and confirm that CO2 capture, transportation, and injection can be achieved safely, permanently, and economically.
• A user-friendly world map with pinpoints for all publically announced CCS projects and their status. Clicking on a point in the Worldwide Carbon Capture and Storage (WCCS) database provides a link for more information about a project. This database is also available as a Google Earth layer on NETL's website.

NATCARB was created by NETL with input from the seven RCSPs in the Carbon Sequestration Program. The information contained in NATCARB is current as of March 31, 2011, and will be updated quarterly as changes occur.

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