About
Overview
The Big Sky Carbon Sequestration Partnership (BSCSP) is based at Montana State University’s Energy Research Institute. The partnership is supported through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as one of seven regional carbon sequestration partnerships in the country. BSCSP collaborates with key stakeholders in the identification, development, and monitoring of viable and safe approaches for storing regional carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The BSCSP region encompasses Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, South Dakota, eastern Washington, and Oregon.
The overall purpose of DOE’s Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership program is to develop a collaborative research network to help develop the technology, infrastructure, and regulations needed to implement large-scale carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and storage opportunities across the country. Launched in 2003, this initiative is being completed in three phases (I, II, and III):
Phase I
During the first phase of the program, BSCSP characterized the potential for CO2 storage in regional formations, as well as explored carbon market protocols and a risk analysis framework.
Phase II
In the program's second phase, regional CCS opportunities were confirmed and validated through a small-scale (~ 1,000 metric tons) geological storage test.
Phase III
In the third phase, BSCSP is conducting a large-scale (~1 million metric tons CO2 or more) demonstration project.
Who We Work With
BSCSP collaborates with a broad and diverse spectrum of stakeholders, involving national laboratories, universities, private industry, community leaders, and tribal representatives. Our major partners include Idaho National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (Columbia University), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Schlumberger Carbon Services, Altamont Oil and Gas, Inc. and Vecta Oil and Gas.
