Developing Unique Resolutions for Carbon Management in the Mid-Atlantic Region
Challenge
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) set out to to identify and address the challenges facing commercial deployment of carbon capture, transport, and storage (CCS) in specific regions of the United States. As part of this effort, the Mid-Atlantic region was chosen to explore how captured carbon dioxide could be collected from major industrial sites, moved through overland and offshore pipelines and stored safely beneath the Atlantic Continental Shelf (ACS).
The challenge was to design a reliable and flexible system that works across different states and environments, from northern Virginia to Massachusetts, while meeting high technical and environmental standards.
Solution
TRC partnered with Battelle Memorial Institute, the project’s primary DOE funding recipient, to provide technical assistance, engineering planning and regulatory analysis for the EXPLORE-ACS project. Our work focused on developing infrastructure design, routing feasibility and permitting framework necessary to connect industrial carbon dioxide sources with safe offshore storage reservoirs. By combining decades of infrastructure experience with routing technology, TRC delivered solutions that balanced technical precision with environmental responsibility, advancing the path to a lower-carbon future.
Infrastructure Planning and Capture Feasibility
- Using EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program and other public databases, TRC identified 25 major CO₂ emitting industrial facilities across eight states (DE, KY, MD, NJ, OH, PA, VA, WV), later expanded to include a site in NY.
- Each facility was evaluated for its technical and economic feasibility to capture and process CO₂ to pipeline specifications.
- Our practitioners developed feasibility-level Total Installed Cost (TIC) estimates for the necessary capture, processing and treatment systems.
Overland and Offshore Transport Design
- TRC performed a CO₂ Transport Feasibility Study to design and evaluate pipeline networks connecting identified emission sources to potential coastal compression facilities.
- Our study developed multiple pipeline routes totaling approximately 1,300 miles of overland infrastructure, collecting an estimated 80 million metric tons of CO₂ per year.
- Six potential coastal compression sites were analyzed for suitability, resulting in the selection of a Delaware site as the optimal location for final compression prior to offshore transport.
- Offshore routing included approximately 250 miles of subsea pipeline to connect onshore facilities to the designated storage field in the ACS.
- TRC provided engineering input for integration with subsea infrastructure design, ensuring compatibility with injection well distribution systems.
Regulatory and Permitting Framework
- TRC conducted a comprehensive regulatory analysis covering all applicable federal, state and local permitting and notification requirements.
- We used existing data sources and GIS analysis to assess shoreline, wetland, aquatic and seabed environmental conditions, informing siting and routing decisions.
- Our team developed a detailed, integrated permitting roadmap and project schedule to align technical studies, environmental reviews and agency coordination for both onshore and offshore components.
Stakeholder and Community Engagement
- TRC served in an advisory capacity for the project’s Community Benefits Plan (CBP) and stakeholder engagement strategy, emphasizing transparency and collaboration with regional partners.
- Although CBP requirements were later rescinded, our efforts underscored the importance of community trust and equitable participation in carbon management development.
Results
TRC helped lay the foundation for one of the nation’s most ambitious regional carbon management initiatives. Through advanced engineering, data-driven routing and regulatory expertise, we supported the DOE and Battelle in planning a large-scale carbon storage network for the Mid-Atlantic region.
Key outcomes included identifying major CO₂ sources across eight states, developing over 1,500 miles of conceptual pipeline routing, creating a permitting and compliance framework and developing an integrated project schedule to guide future development.