Reliant pitches 'Pine Hill Storage Hub' in Covington County; residents press company on water safety and notice

Bester Ward, with Reliant Carbon Capture and Storage, presented the Pine Hill Storage Hub to the Covington County Commission during the meeting on Oct. 28, 2025, saying the project would capture carbon dioxide from industry and store it nearly 4,000 feet below ground in saline formations.

Ward said the company has leased about 74,000 acres and is modeling 11 injection pads with four wells each; he estimated the surface footprint would use about 55–60 acres in total. "If America wants to continue to be great, we must have a reliable energy supply at a reasonable cost," Ward said while explaining the company’s rationale for carbon capture and storage.

Reliant told the commission it would not seek county tax abatements for the project and that it plans a local headquarters, a community benefits trust governed by local board members, and a hiring preference for local workers. Ward said the project is being designed to meet federal requirements, including a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Class VI injection-well permit intended to protect drinking-water resources. "They'll not issue a class 6 permit if we cannot prove that drinking water is not at risk," Ward said.

Residents and commissioners pressed Ward on technical and safety issues during an extended question-and-answer period. Topics included:

- Local geology and drinking-water protection: Ward described multiple thick, impermeable chalk and cap-rock layers above the proposed injection zones, and said freshwater aquifers exist in the top hundreds of feet; the injection zones would be several thousand feet deeper. He told the meeting that older wells would need to be located and sealed as part of the permitting process.

- Monitoring and oversight: Ward said Reliant would monitor wells 24/7 by pressure meters and sampling, file monthly reports with the Alabama Oil and Gas Board, and undergo recertification every five years. He noted that EPA oversight is a gating requirement for the project to proceed.

- Pipeline and surface safety: Ward said captured CO2 would be transported in a buried pipeline (about 4 feet deep in right-of-way) in a semi-liquid form and that, in the event of a rupture, the material expands and disperses rather than exploding. He acknowledged engineering contingencies and insurance coverage for incidents.

- Project scale and timing: Ward said modeling shows roughly 5,000,000 metric tons per year could be stored at the site, but that the project’s duration is uncertain. He estimated it could take "a minimum of a year to a year and a half" to get substantive responses from EPA on permitting and suggested a total of roughly three to four years before construction could begin even after permits and financing are in place.

Several residents asked whether the county or its commissioners had authority to stop the project; commissioners and staff clarified the county does not administer the federal Class VI permit and noted the EPA and the Alabama oil and gas board are the permitting authorities. Ward said Reliant would conduct community outreach, would notify landowners as required in the permitting process and offered to schedule evening meetings in Florella and other communities to answer further questions.

No formal action or vote on the Pine Hill Storage Hub occurred during the meeting; the presentation and Q&A were part of the public comment period. Ward invited further engagement: "We will be clear and transparent about what we're doing," he said.

Ending: The commission recessed for 10 minutes after the presentation to continue with the scheduled agenda and public business.