SFLCT speakers from the SFLCT–ANP Digital Seminar (left to right): Fernando C. Hernandez, Dr. Matt Flannery, Zach Liu, and Stephen Pattee

ANP Director Pietro Mendes (left) and SFLCT Chairman Fernando C. Hernandez during CERAWeek 2026 in Houston, Texas

HOUSTON, TX, UNITED STATES, July 27, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Society for Low Carbon Technologies (SFLCT), in collaboration with Brazil's regulator, the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), successfully co-hosted an international Digital Seminar dedicated to supporting Brazil's sovereign CCS pathway. Bringing together more than 60 participants, the event built upon SFLCT–ANP in-person engagements across the U.S. and Brazil, including recent discussions between ANP Director Pietro Mendes and SFLCT Chairman Fernando C. Hernandez in Houston, Texas.

At the seminar, SFLCT and its Advisory Board provided international hands-on commercial experience, building upon its Chairman's involvement with Bill 1425/2022 (since 2022), which is now Brazil's CCS law. Leveraging sequestration expertise across ethanol, coal power, and oil sands without Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), SFLCT bridged commercial deployment, governance, and operational protocols to foster knowledge exchange.

Importantly, ANP is expanding its CCS oversight while Brazil advances South America's first commercial CCS project via the ethanol-to-CCS pathway. The project draws technical guidance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Class VI Measurement Monitoring and Verification (MMV) requirements for a CO2 injection well (non-EOR).

This milestone aligns directly with SFLCT's institutional experience through the U.S. Blue Flint Project, which has permanently sequestered approximately 200,000 tonnes of ethanol-associated CO₂ annually via an EPA Class VI well since 2023. This is why the seminar's roundtable featured SFLCT Advisory Board member Zach Liu—Director of Subsurface CCUS at Harvestone Low Carbon Partners and a key contributor to Blue Flint's deployment—who shared operational insights relevant to Brazil's first ethanol-to-CCS project.

Opening the seminar, SFLCT’s Chairman delivered a “Global CCS Overview” presentation and introduced the 2026 Edition of SFLCT's National Readiness Instrument for CCS (NRIC). Designed as a benchmarking tool for scientifically evaluating and strengthening national readiness for commercial CCS deployment—from South America to South Asia—the NRIC is adapted from NASA's technology readiness level framework and applies space-grade logic to evaluate global CCS readiness through MMV-centered performance.

First unveiled in 2025 as the United Nations' COP30 unfolded, the NRIC was shared with Brazil's Ministry of Mines and Energy's CCS Technical Executive Subcommittee during the development of the CCS Draft Decree. The Subcommittee brought together key participants, including SFLCT, ANP, and the developer of Brazil's first CCS project. The Draft Decree is currently in final executive consideration to fully operationalize Brazil's CCS law.

Underpinning the NRIC's benchmarking methodology is the direct operational experience institutionally represented through SFLCT. Notably, the framework incorporates MMV data from the Blue Flint Project and Shell Canada's Quest CCS Project—the Western Hemisphere's first commercial-scale CCS facility, permanently storing millions of tonnes of CO2 since 2015.

Building upon his expertise at Quest, SFLCT Advisory Board member Dr. Matt Flannery developed Quest's foundational fluid characterization and monitoring program. Presenting as Director of Geoscience and Engineering at Stratum Reservoir, he delivered "From the Western Hemisphere's First CCS Project in Canada to U.S. Class VI Implementation: Technical Lessons Learned and Optimization Strategies," demonstrating how subsurface data and MMV practices are applicable to Brazil's CCS sector.

Additionally, SFLCT Advisory Board member Stephen Pattee, P.G., Senior Vice President at Lonquist & Co., presented "Insights from Supporting 120+ U.S. Class VI Projects and Canada's First Coal-Fired Power CCS Project in a Deep Saline Formation." His presentation also drew upon Lonquist & Co.'s involvement with Canada's Aquistore Project (included in the NRIC), reflecting his practical understanding of how Class VI projects evolve from concept to injection.

The organization's cumulative international experience demonstrates that SFLCT and the NRIC are built on real-world CCS deployment. Hernandez concluded, "In our mission to advance a low-carbon world, we stand with 'Ordem e Progresso,' always working alongside, and never above, our collaborators."

*Publishing note: The views expressed are those of the SFLCT, a federally recognized U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and do not necessarily reflect the positions of any organizations or individuals referenced herein. This publication is shared for educational, community-impact, and non-commercial purposes. No endorsement is implied. This publication aligns with SFLCT's federally exempt status.*

Press Relations
Society for Low Carbon Technologies
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.