ExxonMobil Corp. has filed an application with the Wyoming Industrial Siting Council for a permit to build and operate a carbon capture project near the LaBarge natural gas field in Wyoming.

The $262.8 million, Phase 1 LaBarge Carbon Capture project would comprise additional equipment at the gas field’s existing Shute Creek treating facility, additional equipment at ExxonMobil’s carbon dioxide (CO2) sales facility in Sweetwater County, construction of a CO2 disposal well in Lincoln County, and construction of a nine-mile CO2 pipeline, also in Lincoln County.

The gas plant and CO2 sales facility are on ExxonMobil property, while the CO2 disposal well and pipeline would be located on land owned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

The supermajor expects construction to begin in the second half of the year and be completed in late 2022. The proposed project site spans Lincoln and Sweetwater counties, and is surrounded by privately owned acreage and BLM lands.

While the application pertains only to the project’s first phase, ExxonMobil management said it is “evaluating the initiation of a Phase 2 project, which is anticipated to be similar in magnitude in terms of capital cost, construction workforce, and construction schedule. Phase 2 would also be located within the same overall project footprint, and built after Phase 1.”

Barring weather-related delays and wildlife restrictions, Phase 1 could enter commercial operation by January 2023.

The LaBarge project currently consists of 16 sour gas wells producing low-Btu gas, which is about 65% CO2, 22% methane (CH4) and 7% nitrogen (N2). The Shute Creek facility upgrades the CH4 component of the gas-to-sales pipeline quality by removing impurities.

The purpose of the carbon capture project is to capture the low-pressure, low-quality CO2 that is currently being vented, and compress it to sales quality CO2 that could be sold to customers or injected into the disposal well, according to the permit application.

A hearing on the application is scheduled for April 9.