This isn't the 'clean coal' news Trump wanted during 'energy week'
By Steven Mufson June 28 at 7:17 PM
Southern Co. suspended costly work Wednesday on a flagship power plant that was meant to showcase technology to capture carbon dioxide from coal — sometimes called “clean coal.”
The Kemper plant, which has cost $7.5 billion so far, has been supplying customers with electricity by running on natural gas for three years, but its once-promising carbon capture and coal gasification technology has been $4 billion over budget and three years behind schedule.
The plant was once held up as an example of promising technologies that could help fight climate change. In 2014, then-Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz flew to see the plant and declared, “I consider seeing this plant a look at the future.”
Instead, Kemper has imposed financial burdens on tax payers and local households.
Thanks to legislation passed by the Mississippi legislature, Southern has been able to pass along about $800 million of those costs to ratepayers, the company said. In addition, the Kemper plant has received $382 million in federal Energy Department grants, according to the company.
more
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/06/28/this-isnt-the-clean-coal-news-trump-wanted-during-energy-week/?utm_term=.e5457b3629bb&wpisrc=nl_headlines&wpmm=1
= new reply since forum marked as read
