North America: Gulf Coast, Illinois Basin & Alberta Basalts

North America offers some of the world’s most deployable CO₂ reservoirs—offshore saline formations in the Gulf Coast, deep brine sands in the Illinois Basin, and reactive basalts in Alberta. Combined capacity exceeds 2 Gt, with established infrastructure and regulatory frameworks ready for rapid scale-up.

Why We Need 100+ Storage Sites by 2030

To limit warming to 1.5 °C, we must remove or store at least 10 Gt CO₂/yr by 2030. North America’s fair share is about 5 Gt this decade:

Today fewer than 10 pilot or operational sites exist here. We must scale to every major basin, aquifer and basalt belt— in partnership with local communities and governments, while accelerating technology to improve efficiency and cut costs.

Gulf Coast Saline Aquifers

Depths of 1,500–3,000 m keep CO₂ in supercritical form—maximizing bulk storage. Porous sandstone overlain by thick clay caprocks ensures containment. Existing oil & gas pipelines and platforms can be repurposed, cutting infrastructure costs by 30–50%.

Capacity: 1.2 Gt CO₂
Readiness: High

Illinois Basin Brine Sands

The Mt. Simon Sandstone offers widespread, high-porosity brine reservoirs at depths of 800–1,600 m. The Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium has injected 1 Mt of CO₂, validating both injectivity and monitoring.

Capacity: 0.5 Gt CO₂
Readiness: Medium

Alberta Basalt Formations

Calcium- and magnesium-rich basalts in western Alberta are ideal for in-situ mineralization. Early studies project 95% CO₂ conversion to stable carbonates within 2–3 years. Proximity to oil sands sources and well infrastructure accelerates deployment.

Capacity: 0.3 Gt CO₂
Readiness: Emerging

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