Community Corner

November 7, 2011

Characterization Well Drilling Progress

Significant progress has been made in drilling the geologic characterization well in Morgan County. The well will not only benefit the FutureGen 2.0 project, but will also add to the scientific understanding of the Illinois geology. After completion and quality assurance, the results of the drilling effort will be shared with the Illinois State Geologic Survey and the public.

Drilling began on October 5. Initially, a 30-inch bit was used to drill down to the bedrock. At this depth a 24-inch steel casing was cemented into the hole. This initial casing isolates all drilling and testing from the surface geology, thereby protecting the surface geology and any shallow groundwater. Drilling then proceeded with a smaller bit to a depth of about 570 feet. At that point, a 16-inch steel casing was cemented into the hole. This second casing runs all the way to the surface and provides a second level of environmental protection and stabilized the wellbore.

The drill team is now using a 14-3/4 bit and as of November 1, at 7:00 AM, the drill bit reached 2,718 feet. Drilling speed varies, depending on the hardness of the rock formation at a particular depth. Currently, around 100 feet of rock is being drilled through each day. Intermittently, drilling pauses for various geologic tests, changing drill bits, or other engineering activities. The team predicts that the target geologic formation—the Mount Simon sandstone—will be reached in December. To date, the drilling rate has been right on schedule. The final borehole depth is estimated to be around 5,100 feet. A core sample of several of the formations will be extracted to verify the suitability of the rock to store CO2. No actual injection of CO2 will occur in this borehole as it is only for geologic characterization.

The team wants to confirm the physical properties, including the thicknesses and the porosity, of the different rock formations. It is important to the success of the project to have an impermeable rock layer—often a shale referred to as the caprock—above the target storage formation. This caprock is needed to ensure that the CO2, which is ultimately injected into sandstone called the Mount Simon, is retained in that formation. The cap rock—called the Eau Claire—will also be sampled. These properties, as well as a number of others, will be characterized as part of the drilling operation.

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Contact: Gretchen Hund
Email: info@futuregenalliance.org

FutureGen Citizens’ Board

FutureGen Citizens’ Board is an important component of the Alliance’s stakeholder engagement program to make the project more accessible to the community, to provide information to citizens in Morgan County and to insure that plans and decisions related to the CO2 storage, visitors and training facilities are as transparent as possible.  The Board is made up of Morgan County citizens who hold a diversity of views on the project and have a variety of personal backgrounds. All members serve on a non-paid, volunteer basis in providing important input to the project.

For more information please contact info@futuregenalliance.org.

Board Members

Vikkie Becker Diversified Crop Insurance Service	Keith Bradbury Franklin Bank
Aaron Dufelmeier U of I Extension – Morgan & Scott Co.	Ginny Fanning Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce
Jon Freeman Cass-Morgan County Farm Bureau	Tom Grojean Grojean Realty & Insurance Agency
Colleen Hester MacMurray College	Dan Little Morgan County Board / Meredosia Resident
Pam Martin Illinois College and landowner	Axel Steuer Illinois College
Jan Terry Lincoln Land Community College	Roger West Carpenters Local 904
Brad Zeller Morgan County Board