University-Led Carbon Hubs

An academic consortium led by the University of Oklahoma has been awarded an $18.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to lead the Oklahoma Carbon Hub. The goal of this project is to conduct a comprehensive geological assessment of three potential sites in Oklahoma for the large-scale underground storage of carbon dioxide. The Oklahoma Carbon Hub will focus on characterizing the subsurface rock formations in Osage and Kay Counties to evaluate their suitability for permanently sequestering approximately 54 million metric tons of CO₂ over a two-decade period. The research will involve detailed analysis, including the drilling of core samples of limestone and dolomite, to directly examine the geological properties of the target Arbuckle Group formation. The project is part of a broader federal program aimed at developing secure carbon storage infrastructure and already has three identified industrial partners — a fertilizer plant, a sustainable aviation fuel facility, and a direct air capture operation.

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