Summit Carbon Expands After Navigator’s Exit

Summit acquires Navigator’s CO₂ assets to consolidate Midwest carbon transport network

10 Oct 2025

The reshaping of America’s carbon capture landscape is under way as Summit Carbon Solutions acquires key Midwest assets from Navigator CO₂, following the latter’s withdrawal from its Heartland Greenway project. The move strengthens Summit’s position as the dominant developer of carbon transport infrastructure across the region.

Navigator cancelled its pipeline plans in late 2023 after regulatory delays and local opposition left large sections of its route unused. Summit has since absorbed portions of those routes and easements, combining them with its own Midwest Carbon Express project to speed permitting and construction in Iowa, Nebraska and the Dakotas.

The expanded network is designed to carry captured carbon dioxide from ethanol plants and industrial emitters to underground storage sites in North Dakota. Industry analysts view the development as a shift from fragmented competition to coordinated growth.

“This consolidation reflects a maturing industry,” said an energy analyst at consultancy Wood Mackenzie. “Summit’s growing footprint and recent regulatory wins show carbon transport is shifting from proposal to execution.”

Summit’s progress has accelerated in recent months. North Dakota regulators approved the company’s underground storage permits in December 2024, clearing a major regulatory hurdle. The company also gained new financial support from Valero, one of the US’s largest ethanol producers, which plans to connect eight of its plants to the Summit system.

Persistent challenges remain, including community resistance and state-level disputes over land access and safety. Summit has emphasised its efforts to improve engagement with landowners and local governments, presenting its project as central to the US decarbonisation effort.

With Navigator stepping back, Summit’s consolidation marks a turning point for the Midwest’s carbon infrastructure. The sector, once defined by competing corridors, now appears poised for a more integrated approach to carbon transport and storage across the region.