By David A. Hill, Executive Editor

Earlier this fall GE Energy announced it had signed a technology licensing agreement with Hydrogen Energy for a proposed 250-megawatt power plant that would use integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) technology.

The story is noteworthy and merits a closer look.

There are nearly 70 GE-licensed gasification facilities operating around the world today and approximately 40 of these plants use commercial technology to separate carbon. The project with Hydrogen Energy, however, raises the bar to a whole new level on several fronts.

First and foremost, should the project near Bakersfield, California, in Kern County, get the go-ahead from regulators, and things are proceeding well along that line, it will be the first facility of its kind designed with technology to capture up to 90 percent of its carbon dioxide, in this case, for enhanced oil recovery and sequestration in an adjacent oil field.

HEI is a joint venture of BP Alternative Energy and multinational mining company Rio Tinto Hydrogen. In 2007, GE and BP formed a global alliance to jointly develop and deploy technology for at least five IGCC power plants that could dramatically reduce carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation. The Hydrogen Energy California County project would be the first power plant built under that alliance.

“This is a homecoming of sorts for GE and IGCC technology,” says Monte Atwell, general manager, gasification of GE Energy. “GE technology was involved in the first IGCC pilot plant in Barstow, Calif., and we are pleased to be deploying the next generation of this technology to deliver low carbon power to the people of Southern California.”

Low Carbon Power

Another important consideration about the project is how the partners view it:  a real-world CO2 reduction strategy for large scale energy generation.

“”Offering further proof that IGCC with carbon capture and storage (CCS) is viable commercial technology, this plant could become a model for new power generating facilities worldwide and help position the United States as a leader in low carbon power generation,” said Jonathan Briggs, regional director of the Americas for Hydrogen Energy.

“We shouldn’t be naïve about losing coal and its impact,” GE’s Atwell tells Colorado Energy News. “Knowing coal is still going to be a big part of energy production for years, let’s figure out how to use it as clean as possible. ” Atwell points out that achieving significant levels of carbon reduction at the baseload generation level will require a major  commitment in funding and policy support.

“Our hope is the federal government allows more of these types of plants to be built. We need the experience of running them and there needs to be more incentives for building carbon capture plants.”

Pre-Combustion Application

The technology proposed for the Hydrogen Energy California plant would convert petroleum coke, coal or a combination of each into a synthesis gas (syngas) at the pre-combustion stage. Chemical scrubbers would filter out pollutants and would separate CO2, leaving a hydrogen-rich fuel to power the gas turbine combined-cycle system. The carbon captured from the plant would be piped to an adjacent oil field, where it would be used for enhanced oil recovery and sequestration operations.

“Most people who ‘don’t live CCS technology’ everyday, as we do, read a little bit on the subject here and there, and lump pre-combustion and post combustion capture into one technology,” says Atwell.

It’s not, of course, and big differences exist between the two approaches, according to the GE General Manager.

“IGCC is a pre-combustion capture, which is the more practical application to carbon reduction at power plants. The sequestration side doesn’t care where CO2 originates, and reduction technology at the post combustion stage is still in its infancy. It requires lots of investment for pilot projects and the physical size of equipment is huge, with scale up still an open question.”

Big Solutions Require Big Leadership

Atwell takes notes of President Obama recent reference to the U.S. as the “leader in a global clean energy.”

“If we really want to lead (and not fall behind China, which is already happening in several sectors), it will require a big market with the proper incentives to get things started - specifically, policy certainty developed around emissions targets — what we’re going to regulate, how we’re going to regulate, and the rules surrounding such things as carbon sequestration,” he says. Once started, Atwell believes market dynamics will come into play and reduce costs.

“We need a national energy policy that enables plants like the Bakersfield unit to be built and the CO2 captured pre-combustion, so they can produce reliable electricity while slashing CO2 emissions significantly.”