As global awareness of carbon dioxide’s impact grows, businesses are evolving their methods of energy and production, looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. One promising solution is carbon capture, a process that captures CO2 emissions from industrial facilities and power plants. This captured CO2 can either be repurposed to create new products or sequestered for permanent storage.
Union Pacific Railroad provides a safe, sustainable and cost-effective way to ship carbon by rail. Tank cars hold nearly 80 metric tons of CO2 which offers the perfect solution for businesses. CO2, which is compressed into a liquid-like substance prior to shipping, is an inert, non-flammable gas, which railroads have a long history of safely transporting.
“Adding rail to your supply chain reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 75% compared to truck, and our Carbon by Rail program leverages existing infrastructure to provide customers an unmatched transportation solution,” said Beth Whited, president of Union Pacific. “Union Pacific’s network aligns geographically with permanent storage formations, and we are actively working with industry partners to develop future solutions.”
In 2023, Union Pacific customers avoided approximately 22.5 million metric tons of GHG emissions by choosing rail transportation over trucks. This is equivalent to removing around 5 million cars from the highways or planting nearly 400 million trees.
The railroad has initiated partnerships across its 23-state network to build the carbon by rail market, including geographic sequestration collaborators like Frontier Carbon Solutions (Frontier) in Southwest Wyoming. Frontier is a leading project developer in the carbon capture, utilization and sequestration sector and a portfolio company of Tailwater Capital LLC. Frontier is building the Sweetwater Carbon Storage Hub over nearly 100,000 acres in Southwestern Wyoming and will provide carbon management solution for industrial emitters across the Mountain West. Frontier has been awarded permits for three deep Class VI wells west of Green River, Wyoming.
“By working with Union Pacific to move and store carbon, we can remove more than 10 million tons of CO2 annually across the Mid and Mountain West,” said Robby Rockey, president and co-CEO of Frontier. “Carbon shipped by rail to our Sweetwater Carbon Storage Hub will be secured in safe, permanent geological storage for some of our nation’s most critical industries.”
The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law on Aug. 16, 2022, boosted carbon capture projects, thanks to an increase in available federal tax credits. These tax credits provide significant financial incentives for companies to invest in and adopt carbon capture technologies.
Union Pacific has the largest network with the fastest routes for your carbon transportation, contributing to a more sustainable future. Learn more about shipping carbon by rail, and if you are interested in reducing carbon emissions, lowering your carbon intensity score or capitalizing on the available tax credits, contact a member of our Carbon by Rail team for further discussion.