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15 min ago 2 min read
ExxonMobil’s Rose carbon capture and storage (CCS) project has been granted a Class VI permit for geologic storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) at its site in Jefferson County, Southeast Texas.
Approved by the Railroad Commission (RRC) of Texas in a 2-1 vote, the Class VI permit will allow 53 million tonnes of industrially sourced CO2 to be injected and geologically stored across three wells.
The project is valued at $5bn, according to reports by the Financial Times.
An 18-mile pipeline will transport captured CO2 to be geologically stored 0.5 to 1.5 miles below the surface. The scope also includes CO2 monitoring systems, including 3 water monitoring wells and 1 in-zone monitoring well.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted the RRC primary regulatory authority for Class VI sequestration wells in Texas in November 2025.
RRC Commissioner Wayne Christian opposed the Class VI permit due to concerns surrounding the project’s long-term safety.
In a statement recorded before his vote, Christian said, “I do not believe the [RRC] should become a promotional arm for the federal climate agenda. Our responsibility is not to guarantee profits, validate net zero, or help companies capture federal subsidies.”
Christian also raised safety concerns surrounding the project.
“The evidence in the record shows a very high concentration of [CO2] would be injected into a potentially non-confining layer of rock with faults that could lead toward the surface and a proposed monitoring network with a huge gap.”
ExxonMobil said it selected Jefferson County for the Rose CCS project due to its active industrial corridors and established CO2 infrastructure.
The oil and gas firm has maintained that CCS technology is “safe” and “proven” and that all underground injection activities would be “far enough” underground to prevent interaction with the water table.
