GILLETTE, Wyo. — The University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources and the Wyoming Business Council announced today that they intend to submit a proposal for a Wyoming Direct Air Capture Hub Pilot-Center.
They’d submit a proposal for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Four Regional Clean Direct Air Capture Hubs program, which is part of the Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act.
The letter of intent they submitted describes how they would determine whether the hub pilot-center is feasible. They’d pursue the Department of Energy’s most conservative timeline.
They said the direct air capture, or DAC, industry may help solve Wyoming’s economic challenges and use the state’s energy infrastructure knowledge and experience of powering the nation.
In November 2022, the School of Energy Resources and the Wyoming Business Council asked stakeholders for input on DAC activities and initiatives in Wyoming.
The information they collected fueled following a Topic Area-1 Feasibility track to address clean energy, early technology readiness, long-term market uncertainty and community integration to promote the DAC industry.
“All new industries come with big challenges in the beginning,” Wyoming Business Council Chief Strategy Officer Sarah Fitz-Gerald said. “By helping us answer the most fundamental questions around DAC industry development, we believe a conservative TA-1 [Topic Area-1] application will help enable us to have a broad and underpinning impact on overall industry growth and help us understand how the DAC industry could benefit Wyoming and the region.”
The proposed project aims to make Wyoming commercial projects for the DAC market less risky. The proposal will provide regional information and investments in longer-term projects, complimenting more accelerated projects and DAC activities in the area.
The Wyoming team plans to work with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to complete deliverables under the award.
The full proposal is due to the DOE by March 13.
