The Sweetwater Carbon Storage Hub (SCS Hub) is a collaborative project between the University of Wyoming’s School of Energy Resources (SER) and Frontier Infrastructure Holdings, a portfolio company of Tailwater Capital and a leading developer of low-carbon infrastructure across the Mountain West and Texas.
Reaching a total vertical depth of 18,437 feet, the J1-15 well is now the deepest Class VI carbon storage well ever drilled in the United States. Preliminary data from the well is highly encouraging, showing geologic similarities to a proven acid gas injection site located just over 25 miles north. These results further validate the potential of the SCS Hub as a large-scale, permanent carbon storage facility.
“Successfully drilling and testing a second well on this project has confirmed our preliminary interpretation of the reservoir and is a major step forward to validate the region’s storage potential,” said Robby Rockey, president and co-chief executive officer of Frontier. “This deeper well gives us a more complete picture of the subsurface, reinforcing our commitment to building scalable, practical carbon solutions for Wyoming’s key industries.”
The SCS Hub is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Carbon Storage Assurance Enterprise (CarbonSAFE) Initiative and is co-led by SER and Frontier. The project aims to establish a commercial-scale carbon capture, utilization and storage hub in Sweetwater County, capable of delivering long-term, secure CO2 storage for industrial emitters across the region.
After successfully drilling the project’s first well (SCS-1), the team then extended J1-15 to reach the Madison Limestone, another high-priority formation. This dual-target strategy is central to understanding the full storage capacity of the hub.
Geological evaluation is being led by SER’s Center for Economic Geology Research (CEGR). The team has collected core samples, well logs and water from the site, which will undergo detailed analysis to assess reservoir characteristics and seal integrity.
“Securing Class VI permits and executing a drilling program to this depth required meticulous planning and coordination with multiple regulatory bodies,” said Alicia Summers, Frontier’s chief development officer. “The geological data we’re seeing reinforces why we selected this location and validates our technical approach to developing world-class carbon storage infrastructure.”
The technical results support this strategic approach.
“The decision to deepen the well to the Madison Limestone has proven successful,” said Zunsheng “John” Jiao, program manager at CEGR and co-principal investigator of the project. “The logging data confirms a continuous zone of strong porosity and flow -- indicators of excellent storage potential.”
Currently, the team is assessing the data collected from the wells in the storage hub. The project team is especially optimistic about the Madison Limestone, a formation also used in North America’s largest carbon capture and storage operation located 25 miles north of the SCS Hub. The analogy highlights the Madison’s potential as a safe and effective storage reservoir.
“We’ve seen what the Madison can deliver through Shute Creek,” Rockey said. “Now we’re applying those learnings here, with results that are very promising.”
The SCS Hub continues to progress toward key regulatory and engineering milestones. The next phase will focus on detailed modeling, permitting and preparation for eventual injection operations.
“I’m proud of our team and partners for reaching this critical point,” CEGR Director Fred McLaughlin said. “The data collected from this well is essential to confirming the feasibility of the SCS Hub and advancing Wyoming’s position in the emerging carbon economy.”