FuelCell Energy and ExxonMobil Announce Location for Fuel Cell Carbon Capture Pilot Plant
October 27 2016 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
- James M. Barry Electric Generating
Station to host multi-megawatt fuel cell system
- Carbon capture to be demonstrated from
natural gas and coal power generation under FuelCell Energy
agreements with ExxonMobil and the U.S. Dept. of Energy
- Pilot results to inform development of
standalone facility for larger scale testing
FuelCell Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq: FCEL) and ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM)
announced today the selection of a location to test novel fuel cell
carbon capture technology under development by the companies.
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The James M. Barry Electric Generating Station, a 2.7 gigawatt
mixed-use coal and gas-fired power plant operated by Southern
Company (NYSE: SO) subsidiary Alabama Power, will host pilot plant
tests of the technology, which uses carbonate fuel cells to
concentrate and capture carbon dioxide streams from power plants.
The tests will demonstrate carbon capture from natural gas-fired
power generation under an agreement between FuelCell Energy and
ExxonMobil announced in May, and from coal-fired power generation
under a previously announced agreement between FuelCell Energy and
the U.S. Dept. of Energy.
This fuel cell carbon capture solution could substantially
reduce costs and lead to a more economical pathway toward
large-scale carbon capture and sequestration globally.
“The fuel cell carbon capture solution we are advancing with
ExxonMobil could be a game-changer in affordably reducing carbon
dioxide emissions from coal and gas-fired power plants globally,”
said Chip Bottone, president and chief executive officer of
FuelCell Energy, Inc. “The carbonate fuel cell solution uses a
proven global platform to generate power while capturing carbon
dioxide.”
Vijay Swarup, vice president for research and development at
ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company, said ExxonMobil
scientists recognized an opportunity to pursue the novel approach
to use carbonate fuel cells at natural gas power plants. Current
carbon capture processes consume energy, which increases costs. But
carbonate fuel cells generate electricity and hydrogen while
capturing and concentrating carbon dioxide streams, which will
reduce the cost of carbon capture.
“The world’s growing need for electricity makes it critical to
continue finding affordable, scalable ways to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions from power plants to mitigate the risk of climate
change,” said Swarup. “We’re excited about the potential of this
novel approach as we continue to work on the scientific
fundamentals in the lab and look to prove their viability in the
field.”
The pilot plant tests will use FuelCell Energy’s commercial
DFC3000® carbonate fuel cell power system to concentrate and
capture a portion of the carbon dioxide emissions from the power
plant as part of the fuel cells’ power generation process. Flue gas
from power generation will be directed into the fuel cells’ air
intake system where it is combined with natural gas. The fuel cells
concentrate and capture carbon dioxide and also eliminate about 70
percent of smog-producing nitrogen oxide from coal, supporting
federal and local clean air initiatives. Following capture, carbon
dioxide will be compressed and cooled utilizing standard chilling
equipment. Installation of the fuel cell plant will begin after
completion of engineering studies that are already under way.
Results from the natural gas pilot test will help guide
engineering studies for potential construction of a standalone
pilot plant to test the technology at a larger scale, under
FuelCell Energy’s existing agreement with ExxonMobil.
The Barry generating station is located near Mobile in Bucks,
Alabama, and has 2,657 megawatt total generating capacity from six
units fueled by coal and natural gas. Southern Company and Alabama
Power have previously conducted carbon capture research at the
location and at another power plant in Wilsonville, Alabama, near
Birmingham.
ExxonMobil is a global leader in carbon capture and
sequestration, and captured approximately 6.9 million metric tons
of carbon dioxide in 2015 for sequestration, the equivalent of
eliminating the annual greenhouse gas emissions of more than 1
million passenger vehicles. Since 2000, ExxonMobil has spent nearly
$7 billion on technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
including on energy efficiency, cogeneration, flare reduction,
carbon capture and sequestration, and research on lower-emission
energy solutions.
According to 2015 data compiled by the U.S. Energy Information
Administration, two-thirds of the 4 trillion kilowatt-hours of
electricity generated in the United States originated from coal and
natural gas.
About FuelCell Energy
Direct FuelCell® power plants are generating ultra-clean,
efficient and reliable power on three continents, affordably
providing continuous distributed power generation to a variety of
industries including utilities, commercial and municipal customers.
The Company’s power plants have generated billions of kilowatt
hours of ultra-clean power using a wide variety of fuels including
renewable biogas from wastewater treatment and food processing, as
well as clean natural gas. For additional information, please visit
www.fuelcellenergy.com and follow us on Twitter.
Direct FuelCell, DFC, DFC/T, DFC-H2, DFC-ERG and FuelCell Energy
logo are all registered trademarks of FuelCell Energy, Inc.
About ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil, the largest publicly traded international oil and
gas company, uses technology and innovation to help meet the
world’s growing energy needs. ExxonMobil holds an industry-leading
inventory of resources, is among the largest refiners and marketers
of petroleum products and its chemical company is one of the
largest in the world. For more information, visit
www.exxonmobil.com or follow us on Twitter
www.twitter.com/exxonmobil.
Cautionary Statement: Statements of
future events or conditions in this release are forward-looking
statements. Actual future results, including project plans and
timing and the impact of new technologies, could vary depending on
the outcome of further research and testing; the development and
competitiveness of alternative technologies; the ability to scale
pilot projects on a cost-effective basis; political and regulatory
developments; and other factors discussed in this release and under
the heading “Factors Affecting Future Results” on the Investors
page of ExxonMobil’s website at exxonmobil.com.
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Relations, 972-444-1107
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