Gasification and Carbon Sequestration - A New Mix

Hydrogen Energy California LLC wants to build a power plant near Bakersfield that would put 250 megawatts of “low carbon” electricity into the grid. The source of that electricity is hydrogen, our simplest element.

The so-called HECA plant will gasify petroleum coke, turning it into hydrogen for generation and carbon dioxide to boost recovery rates at an aging oil field nearby. The plant is expected to produce up to 390 gross megawatts, including 100 megawatts of natural gas power for peak demand periods.

Estimated cost of the plant is an eye-popping $2.84 billion, but the venture hopes to complete permitting next year and start generating power in 2015.

This process isn’t revolutionary; gasification and carbon sequestration are both proven technologies. The difference is the mix: they’ve never before been combined in a power plant, HECA said.

HECA said the sequestration aspect would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 90 percent, keeping 2 million tons out of the atmosphere each year.

Putting that carbon dioxide into the aging Elk Hills oil field, instead of simply storing it an unused reservoir, could improve recovery rates at the field by 10 to 15 percent over the next 20 years.

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