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ExxonMobil to Build Commercial Demonstration Plant to Remove Carbon Dioxide from Natural Gas


    ExxonMobil announced today it is committing more than $100 million to

    complete development and testing of an improved natural gas treating

    technology which could make carbon capture and storage more affordable

    and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
    The company plans to build a commercial demonstration plant near

    LaBarge, Wyoming, where it will use ExxonMobil´s

    Controlled Freeze ZoneTM technology, known as

    CFZTM. CFZTM is a

    single-step cryogenic separation process that freezes out and then melts

    the carbon dioxide and removes other components including hydrogen

    sulfide, which is found in so-called sour gas. If successful, the

    process will reduce the cost of carbon dioxide removal from produced

    natural gas.
    "This technology will assist in the

    development of additional gas resources to meet the world´s

    growing demand for energy and facilitate the application of carbon

    capture and storage, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said Mark Albers, senior vice president of Exxon Mobil Corporation

    (NYSE:XOM).
    Using the CFZâ„¢ process, the carbon dioxide and

    other components are discharged as a high-pressure liquid stream for

    injection into underground storage or for use in reservoir management to

    enhance oil recovery. Besides reducing the cost of separation

    transportation and reinjection, the CFZâ„¢ process can eliminate the use of solvents, sulfur plants and carbon

    dioxide venting in processing of the natural gas.
    The new demonstration plant will advance the CFZâ„¢ technology to commercial application, and be located at ExxonMobil´s

    Shute Creek Treating Facility. It will process about 14 million cubic

    feet of gas per day for injection and test a wide range of gas

    compositions to evaluate the extent of its applicability to the world´s

    undeveloped gas resources.
    Construction will commence this summer for operational startup in late

    2009. Testing is expected to occur over one to two years. The detailed

    engineering, procurement, and construction management will be provided

    by URS Washington Division.
    CFZâ„¢was developed by ExxonMobil Upstream

    Research Company and has undergone significant improvements since the

    1980s, when, in an industry first, it proved the concept of freezing

    carbon dioxide in natural gas separation with a CFZâ„¢pilot plant.
    ExxonMobil has more than 50 years of large-scale sour gas production

    experience, which includes design and operation of the two largest

    carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide injection projects in the world. The

    company has developed industry-leading expertise in managing safety

    reliability and technical challenges associated with highly sour oil and

    gas developments.
    ExxonMobil is a world leader in carbon management technologies and has

    researched and developed carbon-handling technologies for more than 30

    years. In addition to our in-house research programs, ExxonMobil

    supports carbon capture and storage research at the International Energy

    Agency´s Greenhouse Gas Research &

    Development Program, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Georgia

    Tech, the University of Texas and Stanford University. The company

    participates in the U.S. Department of Energy´s

    Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership and is working with

    the European Commission and other companies on the CO2ReMoVe project to

    evaluate a range of carbon injection and storage technologies in Norway

    Algeria and Germany.
    The resulting technologies, including CFZâ„¢

    could play an important role in future widespread use of carbon capture

    and storage to significantly reduce the release of greenhouse gases into

    the atmosphere.
    CAUTIONARY STATEMENT: Plans and projections in this release are

    forward-looking statements. Actual future results, including the impact

    of new technologies, could differ materially due to factors including

    changes in long-term oil or gas prices or other market conditions

    affecting the oil and gas industries; changes in law or government

    regulation; technical difficulties; future technological developments by

    ExxonMobil or others; and other factors discussed under the heading

    "Factors Affecting Future Results" in the "Investors" section of our website at www.exxonmobil.com.