Occidental's 500K-tonne carbon capture plant in Permian nears startup
According to Permian Basin Oil & Gas Magazine, Houston-based Occidental Petroleum and its subsidiary 1PointFive expect their STRATOS direct air capture plant in Ector County to begin operations in the second quarter. The facility is designed to capture up to 500,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, with Phase 1 in final startup stages and Phase 2 beginning commissioning soon after.
The plant will inject captured CO2 into three wells at approximately 4,400 feet depth in saline formations, storing about 722,000 tonnes annually. Remaining startup activities include ramping pellet reactors, completing calciner commissioning, and beginning CO2 injection operations.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Specialized maintenance and monitoring work likely needed for the complex pellet reactor and calciner systems during ramp-up
- CO2 injection operations will require ongoing well servicing, downhole equipment maintenance, and formation monitoring
- Additional carbon capture projects could follow if STRATOS proves successful, creating new service opportunities in the Permian
