Carbon Capture and Sequestration

As part of our aggressive effort to transition to a low carbon economy, we are currently exploring a variety of carbon capture and sequestration projects including post-combustion technologies to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the flue gas of a power plant and place it in safe geological formations for permanent sequestration.

NRG's post-combustion carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) demonstration project at WA Parish near Houston, Texas, will be among the first of its kind and is expected to begin operating in 2013. Using Fluor's Econamine FG Plus^SM (EFG+) technology, the project will process flue gas from the plant equal in quantity to that of a 60 MW unit, a level that can prove the technology's viability on a larger scale. This commercial-scale demonstration is designed to capture approximately 90 percent (or just under half a million tons) of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the flue gas annually. Captured CO₂ will be used or sequestered in Texas 's Gulf Coast region – either at nearby oil fields to enhance oil recovery or at other geological storage sites.

We believe the successful deployment of this type of “clean coal” technology that can be retrofitted to the nation's existing efficient coal plants is important to our common goals of reliable and affordable electricity, enhanced energy security and substantially reduced greenhouse gas emissions.