A major energy infrastructure company is getting closer to sending carbon dioxide deep underground in southwestern Louisiana after state regulators issued their first draft CO2 injection permit.
Louisiana’s Department of Energy and Natural Resources released the draft Class VI permit last week for the proposed Hackberry Carbon Sequestration project, which is planned by a subsidiary of California-based Sempra.
If a final permit is issued, it would be the first Class VI permit granted by Louisiana since the state secured top regulatory authority over the CO2 wells in 2023. Only three other states — North Dakota, Wyoming and West Virginia — share that designation and can issue Class VI permits in lieu of EPA. Supporters say giving states authority can help speed up the deployment of CO2 storage wells, while environmental groups have raised concerns about the quality of state oversight.
The business unit known as Sempra Infrastructure is developing the Hackberry project, which is designed to “permanently” sequester CO2 from a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal — the Cameron LNG facility — southwest of Lake Charles, Louisiana.
