US to shutter its first coal CCS plant
It was revealed earlier this year that Texas-based power company NRG Energy is to mothball its Petra Nova carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. The plant was the only existing one in the US to capture emissions from a coal-fired power station.
Petra Nova was designed to trap a portion of the greenhouse gases from the WA Parish coal plant, near Houston, and transport them some 130 km to the West Ranch oil field, where they would be used for enhanced oil recovery (EOR).
When coronavirus struck last year, and the price of oil fell, NRG idled the four-year-old plant. It will be closed indefinitely in June. However, the technology at Petra Nova will be preserved in case the company one day chooses to start it up again.
According to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which manufactured the plant’s carbon dioxide capturing equipment, Petra Nova was able to capture nearly 5,000 tonnes of carbon each day from exhaust gases – and boasted a capture rate of 90%.
Photo: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
News Item details
Journal title: Energy World
Countries: USA -
Organisation: Mitsubishi
Subjects: Carbon capture and storage
