What Summit Carbon Solutions does

Summit Carbon Solutions, LLC is a private carbon capture and storage (CCS) infrastructure company founded in 2021 and headquartered in Ames, Iowa. The company is developing the Midwest Carbon Express project, an integrated pipeline system that captures CO2 from the fermentation processes of Midwestern ethanol biorefineries, compresses the gas, and transports it via buried pipelines for permanent geological sequestration in deep rock formations or for sale to oil and gas producers for use in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations. Summit's design incorporates safety architecture that exceeds federal requirements, including pipelines buried at least four feet underground, 100% weld testing (versus 10% federally required), 24/7 control-room monitoring, and a first-of-its-kind Tribal Cultural Specialist program engaging over 40 specialists from ten Tribes alongside broader outreach to 62 Native American Tribes.

The company's core technology platform comprises CO2 capture, compression, pipeline transport, and geological sequestration services, with projected capacity of up to 20 million tons of CO2 annually and current contracts connecting 55+ facilities across five states (Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota), representing approximately 13.5 million metric tons of annual CO2. Notable strategic partners and investors include POET (one of the largest US ethanol producers), Minnkota Power Cooperative (joint venture for storage capacity), and equity investors TPG Rise Climate ($300M, lead), Continental Resources ($250M), Tiger Infrastructure Partners ($100M total), and John Deere. The company employs 51-100 people and operates an enterprise field-sales GTM targeting large ethanol producers and oil and gas operators under long-term contractual arrangements.

Summit's revenue model is a B2B transaction-fee structure with two streams: (1) fees charged to ethanol plant operators for CO2 capture, transport, and sequestration services under long-term contracts, and (2) revenue from selling captured CO2 to oil and gas producers in the Powder River, Bakken, and Permian Basins for EOR. No pricing is publicly disclosed; contracts are likely negotiated on a per-ton or per-facility basis. The company has faced significant regulatory headwinds in 2025-2026, including the voiding of its North Dakota sequestration permits and South Dakota's eminent-domain ban, prompting a May 2026 rerouting of the pipeline through Iowa and Nebraska to Wyoming for underground sequestration.

Name

Summit Carbon Solutions

Legal name

Summit Carbon Solutions, LLC

Website

https://summitcarbonsolutions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Summit Carbon Solutions is a private carbon capture infrastructure company building the Midwest Carbon Express pipeline, capturing CO2 from Midwest ethanol biorefineries for permanent geological sequestration or enhanced oil recovery use, serving ethanol producers and oil and gas operators across five Midwestern states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Carbon Capture and Storage Services

NAICS

Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil (48611)

SIC

Pipe Lines (No Natural Gas) (4610)

akta.pro primary industry

CO2 Trunkline Transmission (Long-Haul CCS Pipelines) (TLAGAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

CO2 Gathering & Collection Pipelines (Capture-to-Hub Networks) (TLAGAFAB), CO2 Injection / Storage-Field Pipelines (To Wells & Reservoirs) (TLAGAFAD), CO₂ Monitoring, Measurement & Verification for Storage (MMV, Seismic, DAS, Satellite) (EUABAHAJ), CO2 Gathering & Compression (for EOR/CCUS feed) (EUALACAJ)

Keywords

• Carbon capture storage
• CO2 pipeline transport
• Geological sequestration
• Ethanol decarbonization
• Carbon capture infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Alden

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. CO2 Transportation and Sequestration Services: Summit Carbon Solutions generates revenue by capturing CO2 from ethanol plants, transporting it via pipeline infrastructure, and delivering it for permanent underground sequestration or industrial use. The company charges ethanol plant operators fees for CO2 capture and transport services, while also selling the captured CO2 to industrial buyers (including oil and gas producers for EOR). Revenue is derived from long-term contractual agreements with bioethanol facilities across multiple Midwestern states.
2. CO2 Supply to Oil & Gas Producers (Enhanced Oil Recovery): The company sells captured CO2 to oil and gas producers in prolific basins (Powder River, Bakken, Permian) for use in enhanced oil recovery operations. This provides a revenue stream from domestic oil and gas production tied to CO2 demand from EOR markets.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Summit Carbon Solutions builds and operates a multi-state pipeline system (the Midwest Carbon Express) that captures CO2 from ethanol plant fermentation processes, compresses the gas, and transports it through buried pipelines for permanent underground geological sequestration or industrial use such as enhanced oil recovery. The company provides an integrated capture-transport-storage service to ethanol producers and sells captured CO2 to oil and gas operators across the Midwestern United States.

Product overview

Summit Carbon Solutions operates the Midwest Carbon Express, a multi-state carbon capture, transport, and storage pipeline infrastructure project. The company offers an integrated system comprising CO2 capture services at ethanol biorefineries, CO2 transportation via buried pipeline, and permanent geological carbon sequestration. The pipeline system connects ethanol plants across Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and other Midwest states to storage sites, enabling producers to lower ethanol's carbon score by approximately 50%, which keeps fuel competitive in markets rewarding lower carbon fuels and opens access to emerging sustainable aviation fuel and premium domestic/international low-carbon markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Midwest Carbon Express Pipeline
• CO2 Capture Services
• CO2 Transportation Services
• Geological Carbon Sequestration

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 20 million tons of CO2 captured and sequestered annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• POETcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2026POET's carbon capture partnership with Summit Carbon Solutions connects POET's bioethanol production facilities to Summit's pipeline infrastructure for CO2 transport and sequestration. POET is one of the largest ethanol producers in the United States.
• Minnkota Power CooperativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2022Minnkota Power Cooperative entered a joint venture with Summit Carbon Solutions providing significant CO2 storage capacity for the project. This partnership is central to the company's sequestration strategy in the Midwest.
• EllingsonminorOthersEllingson is identified as Summit Carbon Solutions' primary drain tile vendor, responsible for drain tile repairs resulting from pipeline construction throughout the entire life of the project.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• 1PointFive: Occidental's CCS subsidiary building Stratos, the world's largest planned direct air capture facility in West Texas. Directly comparable to Summit as a large-scale, U.S.-based CCS infrastructure developer with similar capture-and-sequester business model, though DAC rather than point-source capture.
• Denbury Resources: Denbury operates one of the largest CO2 pipeline networks in the U.S. (Gulf Coast region) and supplies CO2 for EOR. Most direct CO2 pipeline infrastructure peer to Summit; both transport captured CO2 to EOR and sequestration customers along multi-state pipeline systems.

Emerging players

• Talos Energy: Talos is developing the Bayou Bend CCS project in Texas (with Carbonvert) targeting ~1M tons/yr of CO2 sequestration. Compares to Summit as a U.S.-based CCS hub developer using well-known geological formations for storage; smaller scale and Gulf Coast-focused.
• CarbonCapture Inc. U.S.-based DAC technology company developing large-scale direct air capture facilities for permanent sequestration. Comparable to Summit as a CCS infrastructure developer pursuing gigaton-scale climate impact, though using DAC instead of point-source capture from ethanol plants.
• Climeworks: Swiss-based DAC company operating Orca and Mammoth facilities. Comparable to Summit as a major CCS/durable removal developer with significant infrastructure funding, though using DAC and based in Europe/Iceland rather than pipeline-based point-source capture in the U.S. Midwest.
• Wolf Carbon Solutions: Emerging CCS pipeline developer proposing a CO2 pipeline network from Iowa and Illinois ethanol plants to Illinois sequestration hubs. Highly comparable to Summit as a competing Midwest CCS infrastructure developer using the same point-source capture model and same ethanol customer base.
• Navigator Heartland Greenway: Navigator's proposed CCS pipeline project across the Midwest, though focused on CO2 transport from industrial emitters (ethanol, ammonia, fertilizer) to Illinois sequestration. Comparable to Summit as a competing Midwest CCS pipeline project targeting the same regional industrial emitters, though with a different sequestration geography.

Broad incumbents

• Kinder Morgan: One of the largest energy infrastructure operators in North America, including CO2 pipeline operations through its CO2 business unit. Relevant incumbent peer to Summit given direct overlap in CO2 pipeline transportation; far broader portfolio including natural gas, crude, and products pipelines.
• ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions: ExxonMobil's CCS business unit pursuing large-scale CCS projects including Baytown, LaBarge, and the world's largest cross-border CCS project (along with Shell). Comparable to Summit as a major CCS infrastructure developer pursuing multi-million-ton capture and sequestration, with substantial capital and existing EOR expertise.
• Chevron New Energies: Chevron's CCS and low-carbon business unit developing CCUS projects globally. Comparable to Summit as a major integrated energy major pursuing CCS at gigaton scale and utilizing CO2 for EOR; operates at much larger scale but similar CCS infrastructure focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/summit-carbon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Summit Carbon Solutions