The funding comes under the Department of Energy (DOE) second phase of its Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships program.

Seven partnerships - which now include more than 160 organisations spanning 40 states, three Indian nations, and two Canadian provinces - were formed during phase I of the Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership program to assess the sequestration options best suited to their regions.

The 40 states in the phase I partnerships encompass 97% of coal-fired CO2 emissions, 96.5% of industrial CO2 emissions, 96% of the total land mass, and essentially all of the geologic sinks in the US that could potentially be used for carbon sequestration.

The partnerships selected under the new solicitation will build upon the work of the phase I partnerships and other organizations engaged in similar activities.

The DOE said while focusing on field validation tests at regional locations with the greatest promise of storing large quantities of CO2, the teams will also prove the environmental efficacy of sequestration, verify regional CO2 sequestration capacities, satisfy project permitting requirements, and conduct public outreach and education activities.

The DOE expects to award about seven phase II partnerships, with funding for each partnership expected to be $2 million to $4 million per partnership per year, depending on factors such as duration, scope, and number of technology validation projects proposed within a region. Each partnership will be required to provide at least 20% in cost-sharing over the duration of the project.

At the end of phase II, DOE will consider an optional phase III effort contingent upon continued importance of the program to the FutureGen initiative, the need for validation of additional sequestration sites in the US, and budget availability.