The Center for Emerging Energies provides technical perspectives and qualified, credible expertise on emerging energy technologies. Our organization is an accessible resource for good, reliable information about the technologies that will bring us into the future.

In the last 150 years, fossil fuels like coal and petroleum have made energy more accessible, abundant and reliable than ever before. These energy resources revolutionized daily life, powering modern conveniences like transportation, healthcare and electricity. However, these processes also release CO2, a byproduct of fossil fuel combustion, into the atmosphere. 

CO₂ is a naturally present and important component of Earth's atmosphere. It holds heat and is used by plants during photosynthesis. However, increased levels of atmospheric CO₂ caused by fossil fuel consumption are causing environmental and ecological disruption. Society is developing solutions to protect our environment while continuing to meet growing global energy demands. Reducing CO₂ emissions by about 43%, according to United Nations estimates, will preserve our planet for future generations. According to the International Energy Agency Roadmap to Net Zero, CCUS contributes about 8% of the total CO2 mitigation of energy sector emissions. 

Emerging energy technologies are being developed and deployed to protect energy availability and reliability while achieving climate goals and bolstering economic competitiveness.

Currently, there is not enough renewable energy infrastructure in place to meet the total global energy demand, and it is not capable of generating enough energy to power all energy-intensive operations like manufacturing processes. We must take an all-of-the-above approach to reducing emissions while meeting global demand. 

Additionally, many of the components used to produce renewable energy infrastructure, like windmills and solar panels, require fossil fuels during the manufacturing processes. While developers continue to advance the reliability and energy intensity of these sources, the world will continue to rely on fossil fuels to supply power and manufacture critical materials.

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is the process of capturing carbon dioxide (CO₂), a greenhouse gas that holds heat in the atmosphere, and using it for a purposes like beverage carbonation, medical procedures, agriculture and injecting it deep underground for safe, secure and permanent storage. Scientific experts agree CCUS will play a critical role in achieving global climate goals.

The Gulf Coast’s energy and manufacturing industries, which employ hundreds of thousands of residents, are a traditionally high-CO₂-emitting sector. As global demand for lower-carbon products and energy increases, technologies like CCUS are enabling Gulf Coast industries to keep their products competitive.

CCUS can be implemented within an industrial facility to capture significant sources of CO₂ emissions before they reach the atmosphere, or it can be implemented to capture CO₂ directly from the atmosphere. 

CCUS is being used to decarbonize vital sectors of the global economy, including cement, steel and fertilizer production, power generation, and natural gas processing. CCUS technology is being added to fossil fuel-powered facilities to reduce or eliminate their environmental impact without disrupting the manufacturing process.

Potential CO₂ storage sites are carefully selected only after undergoing rigorous analysis to ensure they are geologically suitable. This analysis helps mitigate the risk of the CO₂ migrating to other formations or into the atmosphere.

The CO₂ is stored thousands of feet underground, far below groundwater sources, which are typically only 150-500 feet deep. The CO₂ is held in place by thick, impermeable seal rocks, which are similar to rock formations that have kept oil, natural gas and naturally occurring CO₂ underground for millions of years.

Once active, seismic monitoring, groundwater analysis and chemical tracers continuously monitor the area to ensure the CO₂ stays safely and securely underground.

The potential risks associated with geological storage of CO₂ – such as seismicity and storage security – have proven to be minimal if properly regulated and managed.

• Capture: CO2 is collected from ambient air or from processes at industrial facilities or power plants

• Transport: CO2 is compressed into a liquid and transported, typically by pipeline, to its storage destination. According to the Liquid Energy Pipeline Association, CO2 pipelines are the safest of all types of energy pipelines.

• Utilization: CO2 is used in enhanced oil recovery (EOR), welding, fire suppression, agriculture, water treatment, food processing, beverage carbonation and many other essential processes.

• Storage: CO2 is injected 4,000-10,000 feet underground – thousands of feed below water sources – into rock formations similar to those that have held naturally-occurring gasses for millions of years. Over time, stored CO2 mineralizes or becomes part of the surrounding rock.

CCUS is helping to preserve jobs and earnings as the global market demands lower-carbon products and energy. 

The energy and manufacturing sector employs thousands of people in Louisiana and Texas and is traditionally a high CO2  emitting sector. CCUS allows existing manufacturing and power generation facilities to reduce their carbon emissions at a lower cost, helping keep products made in our state competitive from an environmental impact perspective without making them unaffordable for the consumer. 

CCUS strengthens the viability of existing manufacturing infrastructure by improving those assets and strengthening their sustainability, and is attracting new multi-billion-dollar investment from companies that want to decrease their CO2 footprint.

For example, Louisiana officials announced in 2025 that the state’s CCUS infrastructure had helped attract over $80 billion in new construction projects. These projects create construction jobs and long-term operations jobs.

A 2026 Economic Impact Study conducted Louisiana State University projected planned CCUS activities in the state would support nearly 39,000 short-term construction jobs and generate $1.65 billion in taxes to state and local governments during construction. They would support 3,500 jobs long-term, nearly $35 million in state and local taxes on an annual basis and pay nearly $230 million to landowners.

CCUS projects generate significant benefits at the local level. For example, McNeese State University (Lake Charles, LA) study conducted in 2025 reported a typical CCUS project could generate the following economic impact for a parish in which it is located: 

• $6-12 million in local property taxes during the first five years of operation and $30 million or more over a 20-year life of a project to fund services like schools and teacher salaries, emergency response, roadway maintenance and more. 

• $80 million in labor income and $103 million in parish GDP, creating opportunity for local jobs and improving quality of life in the community. 

• Thousands of dollars for the smallest contracted landowners, and millions of dollars for those with larger tracts, over the life of the project (typically 12 to 25 years).

CCCUS technology has been used for 50 years, since before the invention of the first personal computer. CO₂ stored deep underground is held in place by the same rock formations that have held naturally occurring CO₂ in place for millions of years.

Stored CO₂ is continuously monitored to ensure it stays safely and securely underground. According to the Global CCS Institute, close to 300 million tons of CO₂ have been successfully injected underground around the world.

Unmatched geology and pore space 

The Gulf Coast has unique geology expected to be suitable for storing CO2 safely, securely and permanently. The area also has other factors that make it ready to support the CCUS industry:

A robust, experienced workforce 

Louisiana and Texas have hundreds of thousands of workers in the oil, gas and manufacturing sectors. This skilled workforce is ready to lead new energy investments. 

Cutting-edge research and development 

Millions of dollars have been invested into low-carbon energy research and development, helping the area stay at the forefront of energy innovation. 

• LSU is constructing a CO2 research well for hands-on training and advanced research. 

• The National Science Foundation awarded a $160 million grant to Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL) and 50+ public and private partners, Including the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, to develop innovative solutions to energy challenges.

CO2 is transported today by thousands of miles of pipelines. Pipelines are widely used to transport oil and gas and other materials safely and efficiently to power businesses, industry, and homes and move products to markets. 

Existingpipelines and wells have run safely and responsibly for decades, following strict state and federal regulations. Through advanced monitoring technologies, regular inspections, and continuously improving industry best practices, pipelines and wells fuel local prosperity and national energy security 

Companies discuss their projects directly with landowners and enter into lease agreements that provide fair compensation to use the space underground to store CO2 or to build a pipeline. These projects do not affect the landowner’s ability to use the surface of their land whether it be for farming, building homes, raising animals or otherwise.

CLASS V (Research) wells

When a company identifies a potential underground storage site, they can utilize a Class V test wells - also called research wells-  to help determine if an area is good for long-term injection and storage operations. 

Operators inject non-hazardous fluid into the Class V well and study the way it travels, as well as pressure conditions, to ensure it will be protective of local drinking water and the environment. No carbon dioxide (CO₂) is injected in this process. 

In Louisiana, the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy (LDC&E) oversees Class V wells. LDC&E implements strict regulatory oversight to ensure operating wells meet state and federal environmental and safety standards.

• Step 1: Applicant submits a Form UIC-25 application to the LDC&E which includes well location, construction plans and a description of the project

• Step 2: LDC&E reviews the application.

• Step 3: Upon conclusion of technical review, a draft permit is advertised with or without a public hearing depending on the degree of public interest.

• Step 4: Following the review and public comment period, LDC&E will approve or deny the application. If approved, the permit will specify requirements to ensure drinking water protection.

CLASS VI (injection) wells

Class VI injection wells are used to safely, securely and permanently store CO2 thousands of feet underground beneath impermeable rock formations after the research has shown the storage formations to be suitable. 

In Louisiana, the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy (LDC&E) oversees Class VI wells:

• Step 1: Operator submits permit application to LDC&E, including administrative information, technical information and environmental analysis.

• Step 2: LDC&E reviews the application.

• Step 3: Once the application is complete, LDC&E opens a public comment period, which normally lasts 30 days, to receive feedback from the public.

• Step 4: LDC&E approves or denies the permit. If approved, this allows the applicant to build or convert the injection well followed by conducting operational testing.

• Step 5: After the well is constructed and operational testing complete, the operator must submit further information showing the well is ready for operation.

• Step 6: LDC&E reviews this information before the operator may begin CO2 injection.

In Texas, the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) oversees Class VI wells:

• Step 1: You must submit an application for and receive a geologic storage facility permit.

• Step 2:After you’ve received your geologic storage facility permit, you must submit an application for and receive a permit to drill, deepen, or convert the well for geologic storage.

• Step 3: You must drill and complete the well.

• Step 4: You must submit a notice of completion of construction to the Oil and Gas Director or their delegate and submit a completion report.

• Step 5: An RRC inspector must inspect the injection well and find that it is in compliance with the conditions of the permit.

• Step 6: The Oil and Gas Director or their delegate must have issued a permit to operate the injection well.

CO2 injection wells are constructed with protective well casings that include several layers of corrosion resistant, high chrome steel and double-walled cement. The casing of a CO2 injection well can be several times thicker than a traditional oil well. These features work together to prevent leaks. 

CO2 is injected more than a mile underground, far below groundwater sources which are typically only 150-500 feet deep. Prior to injection, scientists extensively study the area to determine how the CO2 will move within the rock formations and what physical and chemical changes occur during storage. To be considered suitable, permanent storage wells must have impermeable caprock layers above the storage zones to prevent leakage and protect water supplies. 

Seismic monitoring, groundwater analysis, and chemical tracers are used to continuously monitor storage areas to ensure the CO2 stays safely and securely in place. In the extremely unlikely event that CO₂ migrates upward thousands of feet through multiple layers of impermeable rock, it is still unlikely to affect drinking water quality. However, any changes in quality and the impact could be resolved quickly.

Eminent domain is the process by which government, or a private entity delegated by the government, can access private land or underground pore space to build infrastructure, such as a CO2 pipeline. Landowners do not lose property ownership or access. They maintain the right to use the land for other purposes. 

Eminent domain can only be pursued after a landowner has been offered fair compensation and Louisiana’s legal requirements have been followed, including: 

• Making a good faith effort to reach a fair price with the landowner. 

• Sending a certified letter at least 30 days before filing for eminent domain, explaining why the land is needed, what it will be used for, and the offer. The letter must include maps, appraisals, and details about any planned structures that will be built above ground.

Eminent domain proceedings are rare, and existing laws ensure landowners rights to a trial to consider just compensation for property use.