Arizona Public Service (APS), Salt River Project (SRP) and Tucson Electric Power (TEP) are participating in the West Coast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (WESTCARB), one of seven regional research partnerships established by the U.S. Department of Energy to evaluate carbon sequestration as a way of managing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. WESTCARB is considering land owned by APS as a site for a carbon dioxide storage pilot project. The site is located northeast of APS' Cholla Power Plant, near Holbrook, in the vicinity of the plant's ash ponds.
The purpose of this project is to test a method of storing carbon dioxide in deep saline geologic formations instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. Due to the geology of the surrounding area, the Cholla site is considered extremely well suited for the pilot project.
The test will involve injecting carbon dioxide underground to a depth of approximately 4,000 feet where it will be confined in a deep geologic formation. The formation will contain groundwater that is far too saline for human or livestock consumption.
The test would not begin until all required permits have been approved and issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and the Arizona Department of Water Resources to ensure the project is fully protective of public health and groundwater resources.
This project will provide important, real-world data to help determine whether carbon dioxide sequestration can be a safe, effective way to manage emissions from coal-fired power plants such as Cholla, SRP's Coronado Generating Station and TEP's Springerville Generating Station, which are crucial to meeting the state's energy demands.
A public information open house is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 1 from 6-8 p.m. at the Holbrook campus of Northland Pioneer College located at 2251 N. Navajo Blvd. The open house will be held in the Fitness Center building meeting room. Project representatives will be available to answer questions and provide information.