A subsidiary of two of the world's biggest energy companies applied to state regulators Thursday to build what could become the nation's first full-scale power plant to capture the carbon dioxide in its exhaust and store it underground.
The application launches a lengthy review process. At best, the $1 billion-plus Kern County project would begin operating in 2014, according to a spokeswoman. The plant is being developed by Hydrogen Energy International LLC, a joint venture of oil firm BP and mining giant Rio Tinto.
The proposed 250- megawatt power plant would run on petroleum coke, a byproduct of oil refining, or a mixture of coke and coal, according to a news release. It would be designed to capture 90 percent of the carbon dioxide it produces and inject the gas deep into a nearby oil field. The pressure of the carbon dioxide would help drillers recover more oil from the field.
Developing the technology to capture the huge amounts of carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants around the world is considered a key to slowing global warming.
– Jim Downing
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