US supermajor ExxonMobil has secured a final investment decision on an expansion at its carbon capture facility in LaBarge, Wyoming.

The expansion will add up to 1.2 million tonnes per annum of captured carbon dioxide to the 6 million to 7 million tpa already captured.

Front-end engineering and design work for the estimated $400 million expansion was completed in December 2021, with an engineering, procurement, and construction contract expected to be issued in March. The project could start up in 2025, pending regulatory approvals.

“Carbon capture and storage is a readily available technology that can play a critical role in helping society reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions president Joe Blommaert.

“By expanding carbon capture and storage at LaBarge, we can reduce emissions from our operations and continue to demonstrate the large-scale capability for carbon capture and storage to address emissions from vital sectors of the global economy, including industrial manufacturing.”

ExxonMobil said the facility has captured more CO2 than any other facility in the world to date and captures nearly 20% of all human-made CO2 captured across the world each year.

The US supermajor is working to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions for its operated assets by 2050, and said this expansion can reduce its emissions by 3%.

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