PEDL's Trinity Campus in Permian Basin will test direct air capture, store CO2 by 2026

Approximately 320 acres in Yoakum County are home to a flagship initiative of the Permian Energy Development Lab.

This initiative, the Permian Integrated Energy System (PIES), designed to integrate renewables, carbon removal, water reuse and other advanced technologies, will soon house the Trinity Campus, a Direct Air Capture (DAC) and carbon storage testbed to test and validate emerging DAC technologies under real-world field conditions.

“This gives parties a way to test their technology to see what tests best and then lets us scale up,” explained Coleman White, who leads commercial development and project origination at Return Carbon. Return Carbon and the lab are collaborating on Trinity Campus, which is expected to be in operation by mid-2026. Trinity Campus is also enabled by a partnership with Roosevelt Resources.

The lab and Roosevelt Resources are collaborating to support operations at the Trinity Campus, including the integration of power and pilot-scale water treatment systems to enable testing and demonstration of emerging technologies. Roosevelt Resources is also advancing an innovative enhanced oil recovery and carbon sequestration initiative, which is anticipated to serve as the initial storage pathway for captured CO2.

“We’re able to test these technologies and have real data,” White told the Reporter-Telegram.

“The idea is to create a template of integrated systems that can be replicated across the Permian Basin,” said Derek Adams, managing director of the PIES initiative, “and ultimately accelerate their commercialization and deployment.”

Speaking with the Reporter-Telegram by telephone, Adams said the plan is to leverage those energy sources and energy mixes and tailor them for each specific site. The Trinity Campus is a key component, he added.

“It gives the Permian Basin a dedicated place to prove the next generation of carbon removal technology delivered in real-world conditions,” Adams said. It combines the area’s energy expertise with the lab’s neutrality to validate technology, reduce risks and build investor confidence.

White said Return Carbon and the lab are looking for different carbon capture technology companies with direct air capture and carbon capture and storage technology to test those technologies at Trinity Campus.

The Trinity Campus is designed to capture and store approximately 10,000 tons of CO2 per year during its initial phase, serving as a foundation for large-scale DAC deployment in the Permian Basin. The project will follow a phased development approach, allowing proven technologies from the Trinity Campus to expand seamlessly to commercial-scale facilities. The second phase of the project will be designed to capture between 100,000 and 500,000 tons of CO2 annually, integrating lessons learned from the initial phase to advance efficient, verifiable carbon removal at scale.

PIES itself is designed to serve as a model for scalable, replicable energy infrastructure for various technologies, allowing natural resources to be used more efficiently and produce cleaner energy.

It is, said Adams, how the Permian Basin will stay at the forefront of innovation, creating a path from idea to full-scale deployment.

The Permian Basin has been producing for 100 years, and “this positions the people and the Permian Basin to be at the forefront for the next 100 years,” Adams said.

For additional information about the Permian Energy Development Lab, visit: cgmf.org/p/pedl.html and www.pedl.tech.

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