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Pasco Area Coal Plan Uses New Low Emission Technology |
Posted June 19, Tri-Cities
A private energy consortium is proposing a big coal-fueled power plant near the Columbia River southeast of Pasco (Washington). Electricity from coal is increasingly controversial because of pollution that accelerates global warming. So the developers of this power plant are going to try a cutting-edge response. Correspondent Tom Banse reports.
The proposed coal (syngas) power plant will be the first to come under the West Coast's brand new rules for limiting global warming gases. The developers, Wallula Resource Recovery LLC, propose to capture about two-thirds of their carbon dioxide emissions and store them permanently deep underground. They're relying on expertise from the nearby Pacific Northwest National Lab. Lab research scientist Pete McGrail expects the C-O-2 injected underground to react with basalt rock and turn into a mineral, calcium carbonate.
McGrail: That is of course very attractive because the CO-2 has no way to move or migrate, or ultimately leak from these reservoirs after it is converted back to solid rock.
A test injection and monitoring wells are planned for later this year. If all goes well, the two billion dollar power plant could be lighting Northwest homes with Wyoming coal in the year 2013.
I'm Tom Banse reporting.
On the web:
Wallula Resource Recovery LLC
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