21 MARCH 2023 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Pennsylvania Building New Carbon Capture Research Facility Adapted from Information by Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced plans for a carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) research and storage facility to house the department’s collection of core samples and drill cuttings. Core samples are used to advance research into the use of Pennsylvania’s subsurface geology. During a tour of the existing storage area Dunn said, “The samples available to the public through our Geological Survey are important to a broad range of research by universities, government agencies, and energy companies, so these improvements to our library will help advance carbon capture as well as many other research and decisions that rely on an understanding of geology.” DCNR’s Geological Survey has developed a repository of rock core and drill cuttings generated mainly through exploration drilling conducted in the gas and oil formations across Pennsylvania. The current repository, which includes donated samples and those collected by survey geologists, has limited space at the Pennsylvania Geological Survey headquarters in Middletown. The current Commonwealth of Pennsylvania budget provides $6 million for construction of a new core storage facility. “The new rock sample library will more than double the department’s current capacity to store, catalog, and analyze subsurface rock samples c o l l e c t e d throughout the state for f o c u s e d research on the state’s subsurface geology,” stated Gale Blackmer, DCNR Bureau of Geological Survey director. Blackmer said the department has started the process of identifying a location and selecting a construction contractor for the new facility. The mission of the DCNR Bureau of Geological Survey is to research the state’s geologic resources and topography; map the surface and underground rocks and geologic structures across the state; and make their findings available through publications and outreach. DCNR has been engaged on the topic of carbon capture utilization and storage for nearly 20 years. During this time, the Geological Survey has worked to provide understanding of the state’s geologic resources, including: j Conducting assessments of numerous underground geologic resources with the potential to serve as reservoirs where carbon dioxide (CO2) could be safely stored. j Case study evaluations of existing oil fields where CO2-enhanced recovery efforts may be employed. j Participation in multistate coalitions to guide seamless consideration of geologic storage options across state lines and throughout the Appalachian and Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The new facility is expected to more than double the current capacity for core samples and drill cuttings. G&O
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