Indiana just got its first-ever permit for underground CO2 storage. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final Class VI well permit in the state, and 44.01, a carbon mineralization company based in the UAE, is beginning development of the project. It’s a small but meaningful milestone: Indiana is now on the map for geologic carbon storage.
Why it matters
The Class VI permit is the specific federal authorization required to inject CO2 deep underground for permanent storage. Getting one has historically been a slow, painful process. The EPA has issued only a handful of these permits across the country, and each new one signals that the regulatory pipeline is actually moving. For Indiana, a state with significant industrial emissions and favorable geology, this opens a door that was previously just theoretical.
The involvement of 44.01 is notable on its own. The company specializes in carbon mineralization, a process where CO2 reacts with certain rock types (particularly peridotite and basalt) to form stable carbonate minerals. This is distinct from conventional carbon capture and storage (CCS), where CO2 is injected as a fluid into porous rock formations and held in place by a caprock seal. Mineralization locks the carbon into solid rock, which many researchers consider the most permanent form of storage available.
The details
Class VI permits are governed under the Safe Drinking Water Act and are specifically designed for wells that inject CO2 into deep geologic formations. The permitting process requires detailed characterization of the injection zone, monitoring plans, financial assurance, and post-injection site care. It is not a quick approval. Projects often spend years in the application phase.
44.01 was founded in 2020 and has built its reputation on mineralization projects in Oman, where vast deposits of peridotite provide ideal conditions for turning CO2 into rock. The company has attracted attention from major carbon removal buyers and has been expanding its geographic footprint. Moving into Indiana represents a push into the U.S. market, where demand for verified, permanent carbon removal is growing fast, driven in part by corporate buyers and the federal 45Q tax credit that offers up to $85 per ton for geologic storage of captured CO2 (and up to $180 per ton for direct air capture with storage).
Indiana’s geology includes deep saline formations, specifically the Mount Simon Sandstone, which extends across much of the Illinois Basin and has been studied extensively as a potential CO2 storage reservoir. The state sits in a region with heavy industrial activity, including steel, cement, and power generation, all sectors with emissions that are difficult to eliminate entirely.
The specifics of the project’s scale, injection capacity, and timeline have not been fully detailed in the initial reporting. What we know is that the permit is final, not draft, meaning the public comment period and EPA review are complete. Development can proceed.
Implications
This matters for a few reasons beyond Indiana’s borders.
First, every new Class VI permit helps establish precedent and institutional knowledge within the EPA. The agency has been criticized for the glacial pace of permit reviews. More approvals, even one at a time, build the muscle memory that regulators need to process future applications faster. Several states have applied for “primacy,” meaning the authority to issue Class VI permits themselves rather than going through the EPA. Indiana has not done so, which means this permit went through the full federal process.
Second, 44.01’s involvement signals that mineralization-focused companies see viable geology and market conditions in the U.S. Midwest. If the project demonstrates that mineralization can work in Indiana’s formations, it could open up a much larger regional opportunity. The Illinois Basin underlies parts of Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky.
Third, for CDR buyers, more permitted storage sites mean more options for where captured CO2 can go. One of the persistent bottlenecks in the carbon removal supply chain is not just capture capacity but verified, permitted storage. You can build all the DAC plants you want, but without somewhere to put the CO2 permanently, the chain breaks.
An important note: carbon capture and storage applied to industrial point sources is not the same thing as carbon dioxide removal. CCS on a steel plant reduces ongoing emissions. CDR through direct air capture or other methods removes legacy or residual CO2 from the atmosphere. Both need permitted storage wells, but they serve different functions. The Class VI permit enables the infrastructure that both approaches require.
Caveats
The reporting on this project is thin on specifics. We don’t yet know the planned injection volume, the project timeline, or exactly how 44.01’s mineralization approach will be adapted to Indiana’s geology, which is different from the peridotite-rich formations in Oman. Basalt and peridotite are not the same as sandstone, so the mineralization chemistry may look quite different here, or the project may use a more conventional injection approach with mineralization as a longer-term trapping mechanism.
We also don’t know the commercial arrangements. Who is paying for the CO2 to be stored? Is this linked to a specific capture facility or buyer? These details will determine whether this is a demonstration project or something with near-term commercial viability.
Finally, one permit does not make a storage hub. Indiana will need sustained regulatory support, public engagement, and additional permits before it becomes a meaningful node in the national carbon storage network. But you have to start somewhere, and this is that start.
Source: Carbon Herald