Wyoming Integrated Test Center to Host New Large-Scale Carbon Capture Pilot Project

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations has announced the selection of TDA Research Inc. (TDA) to negotiate an award of up to $49 million to test a carbon capture system at the Wyoming Integrated Test Center (ITC), located adjacent to Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s Dry Fork Power Station near Gillette.

Managed by the University of Wyoming’s School of Energy Resources (SER), the ITC hosts developers to test carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies using flue gas directly from the power plant.

Led by TDA in collaboration with global energy technology company SLB as the technology development and deployment partner, the project is a large-scale pilot with the aim of testing a sorbent based post-combustion carbon capture system capable of capturing 158,000 metric tons of CO₂ each year -- an amount equivalent to the annual CO₂ emissions of 35,000 gasoline-powered cars. 

“TDA is very excited to work with DOE, its partners and all stakeholders, including the local community, to demonstrate the viability of its novel carbon capture technology at the pilot scale,” says Gokhan Alptekin, TDA’s vice president of technology.

“The speed at which the economic feasibility of carbon capture initiatives can be proven across various sectors will significantly impact our ability to expedite the shift toward net zero,” says Frederik Majkut, senior vice president of carbon solutions for SLB. “Collaborations such as this allow us to demonstrate the scalability of innovative technologies and fundamentally de-risk larger-scale projects.”

A current tenant at the ITC, TDA began testing several carbon capture technologies based on novel sorbents and sorbent/membrane hybrids to remove CO₂ from flue gas in fall 2019. Supported by DOE funding from the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, the testing was successfully completed in fall 2023.

The new pilot project announcement will build on the foundation created from previous testing, with the goal of informing the safe and responsible commercial deployment of TDA’s sorbent-based technology, which could be scaled up for use at coal plants around the world.

“We have been pleased to host TDA as a tenant at the ITC and look forward to a continued partnership,” says Will Morris, the ITC’s program director. “It is a pleasure to see a project progress to the next level and build upon research and development that can bring carbon capture technologies closer to commercialization.”

About TDA Research Inc.

TDA Research Inc. was founded in 1987 and is located in Wheat Ridge and Golden, Colo. TDA develops cutting-edge chemical processes, materials and hardware for customers in the defense, aerospace, energy and chemical industries.

About the Integrated Test Center

The ITC is a public-private partnership -- under SER’s supervision -- to foster the next generation of energy technology. The ITC allows for real-world testing at an active power plant and alleviates typical concerns of being able to transfer technology from a lab to a plant.

The facility provides space for researchers to test carbon capture and carbon utilization technologies using actual coal-based flue gas from the Dry Fork Station. The ITC is funded by the state and private industry partners Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association and National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Basin Electric Power Cooperative is providing the host site at its Dry Fork Station as well as many additional in-kind contributions, including engineers and construction management services.