• President Obama opens Hydrogen Energy CCS Power Plant in California Edit Post

    US Department of Energy (DOE) has granted a $308 million funding to Hydrogen Energy International USA for its Kern County, California, Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plant which will capture and permanently store 90% of its carbon dioxide. Hydrogen Energy International USA, a joint venture between BP and Rio Tinto, was awarded the contract as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. It is part of the third round of the Department of Energy’s Clean Coal Power Initiative.

    “This award is a significant commitment by the U.S. administration to low-carbon power generation with carbon capture and storage technology. Both the DOE and Hydrogen Energy recognize that this project may become the model for new power-generating facilities throughout the world,” said Lewis Gillies, chief executive officer of Hydrogen Energy International.

    Federal DOE support follows on the heels of earlier support this year from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in its decision approving Southern California Edison’s $30 million request for participation in a Hydrogen Energy California (HECA) project study.

    HECA is an IGCC power plant that takes petroleum coke, coal, or blends of each, combined with non-potable water and converts them into hydrogen, a clean burning gas, and carbon dioxide (CO2). The hydrogen gas will be used to fuel a net 250-megawatt power station, and the CO2 will be transported by pipeline to nearby oil reservoirs and injected for storage with the additional benefit of enhanced oil recovery (EOR).

    HECA helps realize the stated goal of the DOE program to “demonstrate new technologies and pathways to power and hydrogen production with integrated carbon management capabilities. Today’s announcement is an important step for the HECA project and also demonstrates the importance and viability of the project in meeting the dual challenges of global climate change mitigation and increased state and national demand for energy security” Briggs added.

    More information on Hydrogen Energy and the California project, on www.hydrogenenergy.com