NETL’s Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Pipeline Route Planning Database — a one-stop-shop for U.S.  geospatial data resources collected to help strategically plan safe and sustainable routes for transportation of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from where it is captured to where it can be stored underground or converted into other products — was the subject of paper in a national science journal. 

The paper, published in December in the science journal Data in Brief, outlined details on individual data layers and methods used to identify data needs and planned upgrades for the next version of the database. The paper will also appear in the February 2024 issue of the Data in Brief journal.

The Biden Administration has set a goal of achieving a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and net zero emissions economy by no later than 2050.  

To support the net-zero goals, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) authorized investments in CCS technology and highlighted the need for the safe and sustainable transport of CO₂. The legislation sparked a range of CCS technology developments at NETL – like the CCS Pipeline Route Planning Database. 

A valuable and growing resource for carbon capture, transport, and storage researchers and stakeholders, the CCS Pipeline Route Planning Database helps fill data gaps in current research and planning efforts, offering a critical resource for future research and provides novel datasets not previously available in a geospatial format. 

Various factors went into developing the database, which includes state legislation, known pipeline stressors, and energy, environmental, and social justice considerations. This spatial resource offers access to curated datasets, providing regulatory and government agencies, academic institutions, commercial and industrial operators, and public stakeholder groups with information to support CO₂ transport-route planning and development. 

The CCS Pipeline Route Planning Database is one of several carbon storage technology products in the Energy Data eXchange for Carbon Capture and Sequestration (EDX4CCS) portfolio, all of which are available on EDX disCO2ver, a central hub for all things carbon storage that aligns with larger data and advanced computing innovations sponsored through NETL’s Science-based Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Institute (SAMI).

The platform is an example of how researchers at NETL are committed to providing peer-reviewed, trustworthy artificial intelligence and safe, resilient data science infrastructure for applied research and development in the CCS community. 

NETL drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By using its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant, and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.