A top official at the U.S. Dept. of Energy says a planned $1-billion carbon-capture project on a large coal unit near Houston represents "a major milestone" in the DOE's effort to maintain coal-fired generation as a viable way to meet energy needs and carbon-emission regulations.
Christopher Smith, principal deputy assistant secretary for fossil energy at DOE, says the Petra Nova Carbon Capture Project at NRG Energy's 610-MW W.A. Parish Unit 8 is significant because it would be the first commercial scale, post-combustion project to be added to a U.S. coal unit and could help states and utilities comply with proposed carbon-dioxide goals.