Energy expansion, CO2 management requires integration

Rather than an energy transformation, many experts are referring to an energy expansion that encompasses not only fossil fuels, but nuclear, renewables and development of new sources like geothermal and hydrogen. Facilitating that expansion will require integration and collaboration, according to panelists at the 30th annual CO2 Conference this week. That is the primary goal of the Permian Energy Development Lab, according to Kyle Simpson, a board member.

From left, Kyle Simpson, board member, Permian Energy Development Lab, Nijel Jenvey, vice president, energy transition project development at Baker Hughes, and Jerrel Branson, chief development and financial officer at Roosevelt Resources, discuss CO2's role in energy expansion.

He told the gathering that the lab works with local companies, junior colleges and universities and other stakeholders “to create a platform for companies with all sorts of ideas to research, develop and demonstrate new technologies and see how they fit together.” The lab has 320 acres near Plains, courtesy of Roosevelt Resources, that serves as a living laboratory for those ideas to be tested and developed.

Baker Hughes has been integrating a lot of new technologies into its portfolio since 2017, said Nijel Jenvey, vice president, energy transition project development. That portfolio includes compression, turbines, pumps, digital systems, digital completions and subsurface consulting, he said. “For us, the energy transition integrates all forms of energy together,” he stated. “It has been a passion of mine, the integration of disciplines to find the right solutions.”

Integrating CO2 into oil and gas fields, giving access across the supply chain on CO2 storage and transmission, is part of Baker Hughes’ efforts, he said. “CCS is significant in terms of documentation annually to ensure compliance. (Our technology) provides data and provides assurance of compliance. We can pinpoint where CO2 is in the subsurface,” he said. The key to success in sequestration is sequestering CO2 in spaces where oil or water have been taken out, said Jerrel Branson, chief development and financial officer at Roosevelt Resources. 

Branson added that it’s important to meet the elements necessary for environmental stewardship while addressing the opposition to CO2 transportation and storage, and it’s important to address water management. 

“The most important thing we need is synergy,” he said, explaining why his company offered the acreage to the lab. “We need to integrate all these elements.”

The Permian Energy Development Lab (PEDL) is a project launched and incubated by the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation. CGMF established the Mitchell Innovation Lab in 2020 to focus on emerging issues and develop a portfolio of breakthrough sustainability ideas and opportunity areas to develop, seed, and incubate. PEDL is the Mitchell Innovation Lab's first initiative. 

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