American Electric Power (AEP) and French partner Alstom commissioned a carbon capture and storage facility on Friday (October 30), at the West Virginia Mountaineer Power Plant in Mason County, according to tricities.com. AEP wisely used this auspicious occasion to promote the 3E- theme: Energy, Economy, and Environment.
Strategically located north of Charleston on the Ohio River, the 1,300-megawatt coal-fired plant is the world’s premier successful effort in integrating the combustion of fuel and the capture, compression and sequestration of carbon dioxide safely in the ground. Experts agree that this project plays a significant role in the study, development and implementation of technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
According to AEP, the project is able to capture and store about 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year – roughly 90% of the carbon dioxide from the flue gas sent through its chilled ammonia process.
With the United States Congress considering climate change legislation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adding regulations, many have said the continued use of coal for power generation hinges on the timely development of carbon capture and storage.
The $137 million Mason County facility treats the gas created by approximately 20 megawatts of power generation, said Matt Cage, Alstom’s lead engineer.
West Virginia Democratic Senator Jay Rockefeller said Friday the Mountaineer plant demonstration proves carbon capture and storage technology can guarantee the future of the region’s coal industry.
“We’re talking about the future of the world, the future of America, the future of coal miners in West Virginia; are they going to be able to mine coal or are they not,” Rockefeller said. “With the right technology, with the right investment, of course they’re going to be able to and they’re going to be able to do it with a certainty that they’ve never had before.”
He then called for another $25 billion in federal investment in the technology on top of the $3.5 billion included in the economic stimulus bill. He also asked that those employed by the coal industry “embrace a technological future.”
“We have provided energy and electricity to this country for decades, and we would like to continue to be part of the solution,” said West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin. “West Virginia will be a part of the future of this great country. Coal is going to be needed as the fuel of transition to the fuel of the future.”
Michael Morris, Chairman, CEO and President of AEP said Friday, West Virginia “is leading this country with a technological advancement to ensure that coal, the most important fuel in the world for the generation of electricity, will continue to have a very bright future.”
Additional carbon capture projects are close to reaching fruition; AEP seeks to “scale up” its Mountaineer project to handle the emissions from 235 megawatts of power generation, while removing 1.5 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.