Richardton CCS
First Operational Commercial-Scale CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) Project in North Dakota
Richardton CCS, LLC (RCCS) operates a CO2 capture facility adjacent to the Gevo North Dakota ethanol facility that injects about 180,000 tonnes of CO2 annually more than a mile below RCCS property for permanent storage. A 5-year investigation by the EERC, in partnership with the North Dakota Industrial Commission Renewable Energy Program and the U.S. Department of Energy, determined the Richardton CCS Project could significantly reduce CO2 emissions from ethanol production. The investigation was also supported by the EERC-led Plains CO2 Reduction Partnership, which includes over 250 partners developing and demonstrating technologies for geologic CO2 storage since 2003. The project transitioned into North Dakota’s first fully operational commercial CCS facility in June 2022.
The Path to CO2 Storage
Site Screening
Site screening indicated that commercial CCS is a technically feasible option for the significant reduction of CO2 emissions from ethanol production at the Richardton site. CCS may also be economically feasible should pathways emerge for ethanol CCS in developing low-carbon fuel programs.
Report detailing the high-level technical assessment and economic evaluation as well as a preliminary field implementation plan.
Report addressing regulatory compliance and incentive program needs for integrating CCS with ethanol fuel production and development of a community outreach plan.
Feasibility
Following support for technical and economic viability of the Richardton CCS Project, site-specific data and designs were generated to garner capture system vendor bids, characterize the environment (monitoring) and subsurface geology (seismic) for permit preparation, and develop informational materials for discussions with communities, stakeholders, and regulatory officials.
CO2 Capture Process Design Package
North Dakota CO2 Geologic Storage Permits Template
Public Outreach Package for CCS in North Dakota
Final results of activities conducted, including baseline monitoring and characterization
Design
This phase resulted in the first geologic CO2 storage facility in North Dakota, Red Trail Richardton Ethanol Broom Creek Storage Facility #1, which was established with formal approval of Red Trail Energy’s (RTE’s) North Dakota CO2 storage facility (Class VI) permit on October 19, 2021. Major activities included drilling a stratigraphic test well (coring, testing, logging—see drilling fact sheet below) followed by extensive laboratory analyses and evaluation, modeling and simulation of potential CO2 injection and storage, and continued collaboration with incentive and regulatory officials.
CO2 Storage Facility Class VI Permit
Summary Report
Construction and Operation
RTE established commercial contracts for the capture facility, installation of wells and monitoring equipment, and flowline and other CCS system infrastructure. With commercial operation starting on June 16, 2022, RTE, now RCCS, began decades of monitoring and reporting as required by state and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations. The EERC continues to provide technical support and interpret regulatory and incentive programs.
Further Reading
RTE Fact Sheet
Capturing Carbon Dioxide
Geology Study - Drilling Down
Water and Soil Gas Sampling
Geophysical Survey FAQs
Geophysical Survey Results
Keeping an Eye on Injected CO2
About Richardton CCS, LLC
Gevo, Inc., completed the purchase of RTE in February 2025. Therefore, the RTE ethanol facility is now known as Gevo North Dakota. The CCS project is now operated by RCCS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gevo. For more information on Gevo North Dakota, please visit gevonorthdakota.gevo.com.
Documents and descriptions on this webpage may still refer to RTE as appropriate.
Discover More
For More Information
