Our first carbon capture and storage project – blog.google

Report on Google’s Investment in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Advancing a Portfolio for a Clean Energy Future

Google is actively advancing a diverse portfolio of new energy technologies to support its operational growth and contribute to a reliable, affordable, and clean energy future. This strategy aligns with multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by focusing on the commercialization of next-generation clean electricity sources. Previous initiatives have targeted enhanced geothermal, advanced nuclear, and long-duration energy storage. The latest development is a pioneering corporate agreement to support a natural gas power plant integrated with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), a critical technology for decarbonization.

Project Overview: The Broadwing Energy Agreement

A first-of-its-kind corporate agreement has been established with Broadwing Energy in Decatur, Illinois. This project represents a significant step in deploying clean, firm power and directly supports several key SDGs.

• Objective: To build and operate a new gas power plant that captures and permanently stores approximately 90% of its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
• Google’s Role: To purchase the majority of the power generated, providing the financial stability needed to build and connect this new baseload power source to the regional grid.
• Strategic Goal: To accelerate the global accessibility and affordability of CCS technology, thereby increasing clean generating capacity while enabling substantial emission reductions.

Contribution to SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

The Broadwing project is a direct contribution to ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.

1. Increasing Clean Energy Supply: The project adds over 400 MW of low-carbon, baseload power to the grid, enhancing energy reliability and security.
2. Promoting Innovative Technology: By supporting this project, Google helps de-risk and commercialize CCS technology, a critical tool for decarbonizing power generation from fossil fuels, as identified by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
3. Enhancing Affordability: The long-term vision is to improve the economics of CCS, making it a more viable and affordable option for global deployment.

Impact on SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

This initiative fosters innovation and promotes the development of resilient and sustainable infrastructure.

• Infrastructure Development: A new power plant will be constructed at an industrial facility operated by Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). The CO2 generated will be permanently sequestered in ADM’s adjacent, EPA-approved Class VI facilities located over a mile underground.
• Fostering Innovation: The project is the first in a longer-term collaboration with developer Low Carbon Infrastructure (LCI) to refine and deploy CCS for power generation at a commercial scale. Future efforts will focus on technical improvements, including raising CO2 capture rates and enhancing system performance.

Support for SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

The project is designed to bring significant economic benefits and create employment opportunities for the local community in Decatur, Illinois.

• Job Creation: An estimated 750 full-time jobs are expected to be created during the four-year construction phase.
• Long-Term Employment: Dozens of permanent jobs will be supported once the plant becomes operational, which is targeted for early 2030.

Commitment to SDG 13: Climate Action

The primary function of the Broadwing project is to take urgent action to combat climate change by significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

1. Direct Emissions Reduction: The facility is designed to capture and permanently store approximately 90% of its CO2 emissions, preventing their release into the atmosphere.
2. Transparency and Integrity: To ensure accurate emissions reporting and environmental integrity, the project will incorporate a newly released standard for CCS-specific Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs).
3. Broader Impact: This project serves as a model for reducing emissions from other carbon-intensive industries, such as steel and cement manufacturing, contributing to broader industrial decarbonization efforts.

Fostering SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The success of this project relies on a multi-stakeholder partnership, demonstrating a collaborative approach to achieving sustainable development.

• Key Partners: The collaboration involves Google (corporate off-taker), Broadwing Energy (project entity), Low Carbon Infrastructure (LCI, project developer), I Squared Capital (infrastructure investor), and Archer Daniels Midland (ADM, site host and sequestration operator).
• Community Engagement: LCI has engaged a broad range of community stakeholders in the project’s development and will continue this engagement throughout its lifecycle.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

• The article focuses on Google’s strategy to advance a “broad portfolio of new energy technologies” to support a “reliable, affordable, clean energy future.” The entire initiative, particularly the agreement to support a gas power plant with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), is aimed at providing clean and reliable power for its data centers and the regional grid.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• The project is expected to have a significant positive economic impact on the local community. The article explicitly states that the Broadwing project “will bring significant benefits to the local community, including creating an estimated 750 full-time jobs over the next four years and supporting dozens of permanent jobs once the plant is running.”

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

• The article highlights innovation in the energy sector by commercializing new technologies like CCS. The project involves building new, sustainable infrastructure (“a new power plant with over 400 MW of generating capacity”) and aims to “accelerate the path for CCS technology to become more accessible and affordable globally,” demonstrating a commitment to upgrading industrial processes.

SDG 13: Climate Action

• The primary goal of the CCS project is to mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The article states that the Broadwing Energy plant “will capture and permanently store approximately 90% of its CO2 emissions.” It also mentions that leading institutions like the IEA and IPCC agree that CCS is a “valuable tool” to “significantly reduce emissions from power generation.”

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• The initiative is a result of a multi-stakeholder collaboration. The article describes it as a “first-of-its kind corporate agreement” and a “longer-term collaboration with project developer Low Carbon Infrastructure (LCI),” which also involves Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) for CO2 storage. This partnership model is crucial for deploying complex, large-scale projects.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

• Target 7.2: By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. While CCS is applied to natural gas, it is framed as a “clean firm power” source that complements renewables like geothermal, contributing to a cleaner overall energy mix.
• Target 7.a: By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology… and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology. The article describes Google’s goal to “help bring promising new CCS solutions to the market while learning and innovating quickly” and make the technology “more accessible and affordable globally.”

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… The creation of “750 full-time jobs” and “dozens of permanent jobs” directly contributes to this target by providing employment opportunities in the local community.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

• Target 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable… with greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies. The project involves building a new power plant that integrates an advanced clean technology (CCS) to make power generation sustainable.

SDG 13: Climate Action

• Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning. Google’s corporate strategy to procure clean energy and support CCS technology demonstrates the integration of climate action into its core business planning, acting as a model for corporate climate responsibility.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships. The project is a clear example of a private-private partnership between Google, Broadwing Energy, LCI, and ADM to achieve a shared sustainability goal.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Indicators for SDG 7

• Generating Capacity of Clean Power: The article specifies that the new plant will have “over 400 MW of generating capacity” of clean, baseload power.

Indicators for SDG 8

• Number of Jobs Created: The article provides precise figures: “an estimated 750 full-time jobs over the next four years and supporting dozens of permanent jobs.”

Indicators for SDG 9

• CO2 Capture Rate: The efficiency of the new technology is a key indicator. The article states the project will “capture and permanently store approximately 90% of its CO2 emissions.”

Indicators for SDG 13

• Amount of CO2 Emissions Reduced/Captured: The 90% capture rate is a direct measure of climate action. The article also quantifies the impact of other Google initiatives, stating that five AI-powered products helped users “collectively reduce an estimated 26 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent.”
• Standardized Emissions Reporting: The project will use a “newly-released standard for CCS-specific Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs)” to ensure emissions reductions can be “accurately quantified in emissions reporting,” providing a verifiable indicator.

Indicators for SDG 17

• Formation of Multi-stakeholder Partnerships: The existence of the “collaboration with project developer Low Carbon Infrastructure (LCI), a portfolio company of leading infrastructure investor, I Squared Capital” and the involvement of ADM serves as an indicator of a successful partnership.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: blog.google