New underground wells could store carbon dioxide pollution for Microsoft and Amazon
Construction equipment during a groundbreaking ceremony at the Occidental direct air capture plant in Texas on April 28th, 2023. | Photo: Getty Images
A major project to capture and store carbon dioxide pollution for companies including Microsoft and Amazon just took a significant step forward — the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued draft permits for wells that would store the CO2 underground. The EPA issued the permits to Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum that has landed big carbon removal deals with major tech companies.
Oxy is building a massive industrial plant called Stratos to filter CO2 out of the air in Ector County, Texas, where the three proposed wells are located. This is the first time the EPA has issued draft permits in Texas for the Class VI wells used specifically to sequester carbon dioxide.
These wells could be a key piece of...