UW officials pose with ExxonMobil leaders during a tour at the company’s Shute
Creek natural gas processing plant near LaBarge. From left are: Mike Smith, UW vice
president for governmental affairs and community engagement; Cameron Wright, dean
of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences; School of Energy Resources Executive
Director Holly Krutka; Vamegh Rasouli, head of the Department of Energy and Petroleum
Engineering; Greg Pulliam, government and public affairs manager for ExxonMobil/XTO
Energy Inc. western division; UW President Ed Seidel; Matt Pyles, project manager
for the LaBarge carbon capture project; Angela Ver Ploeg, UW Foundation director of
corporate engagement; and David Greaves, ExxonMobil’s Wyoming operations technical
manager. (ExxonMobil Photo)
University of Wyoming President Ed Seidel and other UW representatives got a close
look at the world’s largest carbon capture facility during a visit to ExxonMobil’s
Shute Creek natural gas processing plant near LaBarge earlier this week.
Accompanying Seidel on the visit were UW School of Energy Resources Executive Director
Holly Krutka; Cameron Wright, dean of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences;
Mike Smith, vice president for governmental affairs and community engagement; Professor
Vamegh Rasouli, head of the Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering; and Angela
Ver Ploeg, UW Foundation director of corporate engagement.
“This was a wonderful opportunity to visit this important industrial facility in western
Wyoming and learn about the innovative work taking place there,” Seidel says. “Not
only is the Shute Creek facility a major employer in our state, but ExxonMobil is,
in many respects, leading the way in Wyoming’s burgeoning carbon capture and utilization
industry.”
In 2022, ExxonMobil announced a $400 million investment at the Shute Creek facility,
which has captured more carbon dioxide than any other facility in the world. The expansion
project now underway will capture up to 1.2 million metric tons of CO2, in addition to the 6-7 million tons captured there each year. Much of that is used
for enhanced oil recovery projects and other industrial uses.
In addition to producing natural gas, Shute Creek is one of the world’s largest sources
of helium, producing approximately 20 percent of global supply.
