Contact: Jim Laird
STARKVILLE, Miss.--The state of Mississippi is playing a pivotal role as traditional sources of energy get new, high-tech treatment, and the economic impact is expected to be significant here, as well as the nation as a whole.
Today [March 6] in Jackson, energy industry leaders from around the country gathered to learn about enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies that are being utilized in Mississippi.
Mississippi State University's National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center (nSPARC) and the Energy and Environment Initiative at Rice University organized the EOR and Global Impacts: Transformative Technology for Energy Security, Global Environment and Sustainability Symposium at the Jackson Marriott.
Gov. Phil Bryant delivered the keynote address at the conference, which also included panelists and speakers Charles McConnell, executive director of Rice's Energy and Environment Initiative and former assistant secretary of energy at the U.S. Department of Energy; Christopher Guith, vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy; and Domenico Parisi, director of Mississippi State's nSPARC.
The one-day event showcased Mississippi's role as a national leader in energy development, according to MSU's chief research officer.
"Energy is one of Mississippi State's high-priority research areas, and we see it as a vital part of our land-grant mission," said David Shaw, vice president for research and economic development.
"MSU-led research and innovation are making a difference in how we utilize our state's abundant natural resources to meet global energy needs, and this symposium is an excellent forum for showcasing our work," he said.
Throughout the day, industry leaders, government officials, market analysts and policy experts explored how EOR is being implemented in Mississippi in conjunction with transformative technology for CCUS at sites around the state.
Enough oil could be recovered economically with today's EOR technologies to more than double current U.S. proven reserves and significantly increase global reserves, according to Advanced Resources International, a recognized leader in geological research.
The state currently ranks number two globally for energy policy and is first in its tier when energy policy is considered along with proven oil and gas reserves.
Symposium co-hosts included the Institute for 21st Century Energy, the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, the Southern States Energy Board, the North American Carbon Capture and Storage Association and the Mississippi Energy Institute.