Carbon TerraVault (CTV) FAQs
General CTV Questions
We are meeting an obvious need for our home state. Governor Newsom has made it clear carbon capture and storage (CCS) is vital to meet state climate objectives. CTV I began operations in May 2026, and is progressing towards capturing up to 100,000 metric tons of CO2 annually from the Elk Hills cryogenic gas plant (see real time tracker here). The California Energy Commission has called Elk Hills “one of the premier CO2 sequestration sites in the U.S.”
CTV I – 26R is capable of storing up to 1.46 million metric tons of CO2 annually, equivalent to removing the annual emissions of nearly 400,000 passenger vehicles or offsetting more than 200,000 American households’ energy use.
CTV aims to develop the capacity to permanently store up to 352 million metric tons of CO2 – equivalent to the annual emissions from more than 82 million cars and approximately 24% of California’s annual addressable industrial-sector emissions*.
*Based on pending and issued permits and CARB 2000-2023 GHG Inventory (2025 Edition)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for establishing and enforcing regulations associated with injecting and storing CO2 underground. In 2010, the EPA established a new class of well, Class VI, to accommodate and validate the safe implementation of CCS technology.
Complementing the industry-wide oversight provided by federal and regional agencies, CRC has a proven track record of utilizing prevailing design, construction, and maintenance practices while safely operating in 65 oil and gas fields with 11,000+ miles of piping infrastructure throughout California.
California’s need for oil and natural gas remains significant, even as the state transitions to a lower-carbon economy. Demand for oil and gas will continue past 2045. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) recognizes this fact in their 2022 Scoping Plan, noting that:
“… to meet that remaining demand for petroleum fuel, a complete phaseout of oil and gas extraction and refining is not possible by 2045.” (p.100)
Additionally, CARB notes:
“…it is not feasible to phase out oil and gas production fully by 2045 given this remaining demand.” (p.102)
The question is how we meet those energy needs while also achieving California’s ambitious climate goals.
CRC is pursuing carbon capture and storage because we believe it will be a critical part of that solution, and CARB agrees, as noted in the same Scoping Plan:
“Carbon removal and sequestration will be an essential tool to achieve carbon neutrality, and the modeling clearly shows there is no path to carbon neutrality without carbon removal and sequestration.” (p. 84)
Meeting California’s climate goals will require an all-of-the-above approach, including technologies like CCS that can reduce emissions from sectors that are difficult to decarbonize.
It’s also a natural extension of CRC’s expertise. We have decades of experience in California geology, subsurface operations, and safely managing fluids and gases – all capabilities that are fundamental to developing permanent CO2 storage. We see an opportunity to put that expertise to work as a partner to the state in achieving its climate ambitions.
Safety, Monitoring & Environmental Protections
Every aspect of CTV I is designed under EPA, state, and local regulatory oversight, with rigorous monitoring and verification standards in place. CO2 is being injected more than a mile underground, isolated from drinking water. Continuous monitoring ensures long-term integrity and safety of the storage reservoir.
A CTV project has a robust monitoring program designed to minimize potential impacts to the environment. For example, the program includes both deep and shallow groundwater monitoring wells, while monitoring air quality, vegetation health, and seismic activity. Monitoring reports are completed on a semi-annual basis and submitted to the EPA.
In addition, CTV has an Emergency and Remedial Response Plan, developed in coordination with the EPA, to address and implement safeguards against potential environmental impacts. Financial instruments, such as project insurance, are in place to provide added protection to address environmental impacts associated with the project.
These reservoirs have been in place for many millions of years. The reservoirs were resilient enough over the millennia to allow the oil and gas to form.
The quantity of CO2 released as part of a CCS project is negligible. The project is designed to store the quantity of CO2 delivered. There are extensive safeguards and an Emergency and Remedial Response Plan to limit the potential impact of events that could release CO2.
Implementing CTV I improves the plant’s overall efficiency. The CO2 removal process has been upgraded as part of this project. These upgrades include a more efficient absorbent for removing CO2 from the gas stream, along with new piping to support its movement within the facility.
Additionally, according to studies presented by Clean Air Task Force, carbon capture projects reduce criteria pollutants, such as PM2.5, NOx, and SOx.
Project Lifecycle, Post-Injection Care & Permanently Sealing the well
Financial responsibility for monitoring and maintenance of a carbon storage project is required by law and maintained during injection and throughout the post-injection period. The post-injection period is determined by the timeframe required to ensure that there is no risk for CO2 leakage.
CTV has a robust post-injection monitoring system in place that closely monitors the underground storage reservoir and groundwater to ensure there is no leakage, as well as ongoing monitoring of air quality, surface and surrounding vegetation, and subsurface integrity.
The robust monitoring protocol follows established schedules for field inspections and monitoring equipment maintenance and assessment. CRC is required to communicate monitoring results to the EPA and failure to provide those reports would compromise our license to operate under the Class VI permit.
In the unlikely event that CO2 is detected outside of the approved containment or monitoring locations, CRC is responsible for initiating the response, in compliance with the Emergency and Remedial Response Plan. The operator must promptly notify, communicate with, and coordinate response actions with the EPA.
When a project is ready to be permanently sealed, a report will be submitted to the EPA and CARB for approval and will also be made available to the public.
CRC operates a well-established program for managing idle wells and has historically plugged and abandoned idle wells at a rate faster than that required by law.
Each existing well in a carbon storage project undergoes a thorough review by the California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) for abandonment, including evaluation of the well’s construction, operational history, and plugging procedures. CalGEM reviews and approves the plugging and abandonment to ensure it meets all regulatory standards.
During the Class VI review process the EPA reviews the abandoned well to confirm that it does not serve as a potential pathway for fluid migration and that the proposed abandonment plan protects underground sources of drinking water. This multi-agency oversight ensures that wells are permanently sealed in a safe, environmentally protective, and compliant manner.