Port of Corpus Christi in decarbonisation push with new collaboration deal

The Port of Corpus Christi Authority has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) as part of the port’s commitment to decarbonization and energy transition initiatives.

As informed, the agreement between the two parties is intended to advance collaboration between the Port of Corpus Christi, NREL and port tenants by identifying scalable energy transition and decarbonization projects that require techno-economic analysis, modeling, testing and validation efforts.

Under the MoU, they will share a number of objectives including production, storage, use and export of renewable and/or low carbon intensity energy as well as the integration of innovative renewable technologies and production systems.

Specifically, the new projects will evaluate the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) impacts of energy transition projects on surrounding communities.

“The Port of Corpus Christi is committed to the global energy transition and atmospheric decarbonization objectives by diversifying the energy products that move through our gateway,” said Sean Strawbridge, Chief Executive Officer for the Port of Corpus Christi. 

“Partnering with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to cultivate opportunities for applied research and analytics is a logical and pragmatic approach to developing scalable alternative energy sources for export.”

As part of its decarbonisation efforts, the port authority recently also signed an agreement with the Texas General Land Office (GLO) to co-develop a carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage solution in the Coastal Bend.

Such a solution would involve infrastructure to transport and permanently store CO₂ captured by various industrial target sources in the greater Port of Corpus Christi area. Partnering to capture and sequester these emissions has unmatched environmental benefits, according to the port authority.

A recent report from the American Petroleum Institute and the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association and the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers calls on energy developers to adopt unified actions to help mitigate emissions that meet global carbon reduction goals.

This report recommends immediate action to reduce carbon emissions by investing into the development of infrastructure to capture and permanently store carbon.