CASPER, Wyo. — The United States Department of Energy’s assistant secretary of fossil energy will come to Wyoming next week to learn about carbon capture technology in the state.
That official, Steven Winberg, will be in Wyoming from Aug. 21-23 on an invite from Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon.
“Winberg and several DOE staff will spend three days touring Wyoming’s energy industry and research facilities,” the governor’s office said on Monday, Aug. 12.
“Stops will include the Integrated Test Center, the Wyoming Carbon Storage Assurance and Facility Enterprise’s (CarbonSAFE) project, a coal mine, power plant, and facilities at the University of Wyoming’s School of Energy Resources.”
Winberg and Gordon met during a May Utah Energy Summit, where the governor extended his invitation.
“’It is exciting that Assistant Secretary Winberg will be able to spend a significant amount of time in Wyoming,’ said Governor Gordon. ‘As the leading coal-producing state in the country and home to some of the most innovative fossil energy research, I am thrilled to highlight firsthand and on the ground the areas where Wyoming has led the way in energy and forward-looking climate solutions. I look forward to working with DOE to find avenues to move these important technologies towards commercialization.’”
The DOE’s Office of Fuel Energy leads that department’s efforts to help develop carbon capture utilization and storage technologies. These technologies are something Gordon has also worked to advance, his office says.
“In 2019, he requested $10 million from the Wyoming State Legislature for matching funds for a pre-combustion pilot project,” the announcement says. “$5 million was appropriated, with the University of Wyoming leading the RFP process.”
