Zahra Finnigan

Biography

Zahra Finnigan, a Senior Geoscience Risk Specialist at the EERC, specializes in carbon capture and storage (CCS) risk assessment and management. Since 2022, Finnigan has supported the EERC’s risk management activities for CCS projects, including i) integrating guidance documents, regulatory requirements, financial incentives, and best practices for the Plains CO2 Reduction Partnership; ii) risk assessments for commercial CCS projects in North Dakota and other states within the United States; and iii) subsurface technical risk assessments for CarbonSAFE (Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise) Initiative storage projects. Finnigan holds a B.S. degree in Geology from the University of North Dakota and an Associate degree in Physical Science from Seminole State College, Seminole, Oklahoma.

Finnigan’s principal areas of interest and expertise include CCS risk assessments, geologic characterization, geologic modeling and mapping, deep saline formation CO2 storage, cartography, field operations, and Class VI well permitting.