ATLANTA, July 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern Company
(NYSE: SO) today announced that subsidiary Mississippi Power has
started producing syngas using lignite at the Kemper County energy facility – the most
significant milestone at the plant to date.
The successful production of syngas demonstrates the viability
of the Transport Integrated Gasification (TRIG™)
technology, which is being used for the first time at commercial
scale at the state-of-the-art facility, and will be combined with
the other major systems to eventually produce power.
"This is a major achievement for the Kemper project, and I am very proud of
everyone who has worked safely and tirelessly to overcome
challenges and reach this important point," said Mississippi Power
President and CEO Anthony Wilson.
"Producing syngas from Mississippi's own abundant natural resource –
lignite – should be encouraging to our customers, communities and
energy companies around the world. This proves that Kemper's technology can provide a way forward
for coal and puts us a step closer to full plant
operation."
An integral aspect of the plant's operations, syngas is created
when locally mined lignite is heated at high temperatures in the
plant's gasifiers, converting the coal to gas. To produce
electricity, the plant is designed to use syngas similarly to
natural gas to power a turbine. The facility is designed to capture
at least 65 percent of carbon dioxide, with resulting emissions
better than a similarly sized natural gas plant.
The TRIG™ coal gasification technology deployed at
the plant was jointly developed by Southern Company, KBR and the
U.S. Department of Energy over the past two decades at the Power
Systems Development Facility, an Alabama-based research facility operated by
Southern Company.
The successful production of syngas is an important step in the
systematic process of achieving the facility's full commercial
operation. During the coming weeks, the Kemper project team also will be focused on
starting up and integrating various systems needed to achieve the
next major milestone – using syngas to produce electricity at the
plant.
When fully operational, the plant is designed to not only
generate electricity, but also to capture marketable products from
the syngas like carbon dioxide, which is expected to be used for
enhanced oil recovery – a process through which CO2 is
safely and permanently injected into the ground to extract the fuel
from depleted oil fields.
About Mississippi Power
Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO),
produces safe, reliable and environmentally responsible energy for
more than 186,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. Mississippi Power earned
the 2015 ReliabilityOne™ Award for outstanding midsize
utility for excellence in storm restoration and recovery efforts as
well as being a leader in reliability, customer service and safety.
Visit our websites at mississippipower.com and
mississippipowernews.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on
Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube.
About Southern Company
Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is America's premier energy company,
with 44,000 megawatts of generating capacity and 1,500 billion
cubic feet of combined natural gas consumption and throughput
volume serving 9 million electric and gas utility customers through
its subsidiaries. The company provides clean, safe, reliable and
affordable energy through electric utilities in four states,
natural gas distribution utilities in seven states, a competitive
generation company serving wholesale customers across America and a
nationally recognized provider of customized energy solutions, as
well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company
brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability
and affordable prices that are below the national average. Through
an industry-leading commitment to innovation, Southern Company and
its subsidiaries are inventing America's energy future by
developing the full portfolio of energy resources, including
carbon-free nuclear, 21st century coal, natural gas,
renewables and energy efficiency, and creating new products and
services for the benefit of customers. Southern Company has
been named by the U.S. Department of Defense and G.I. Jobs magazine as a top military employer,
recognized among the Top 50 Companies for Diversity by
DiversityInc, listed by Black Enterprise magazine as one of the 40
Best Companies for Diversity and designated a Top Employer for
Hispanics by Hispanic Network. The company has earned a National
Award of Nuclear Science and History from the National Atomic
Museum Foundation for its leadership and commitment to nuclear
development and is continually ranked among the top utilities in
Fortune's annual World's Most Admired Electric and Gas
Utility rankings. Visit our website at
www.southerncompany.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements:
Certain information contained in this communication is
forward-looking information based on current expectations and plans
that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information
includes, among other things, statements concerning the projected
schedule for the completion of construction and start-up of the
integrated coal gasification combined cycle project in Kemper County, Mississippi (the "Kemper
IGCC"). Southern Company and Mississippi Power caution that
there are certain factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from the forward-looking information that has been
provided. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on this
forward-looking information, which is not a guarantee of future
performance and is subject to a number of uncertainties and other
factors, many of which are outside the control of Southern Company
and Mississippi Power; accordingly, there can be no assurance that
such suggested results will be realized. The following factors, in
addition to those discussed in Southern Company's and Mississippi
Power's Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2015, and subsequent
securities filings, could cause actual results to differ materially
from management expectations as suggested by such forward-looking
information: changes in tax and other laws and regulations to which
Mississippi Power is subject as well as changes in application of
existing laws and regulations; the ability to control costs and
avoid cost overruns during the development and construction of
facilities, which include the development and construction of
generating facilities with designs that have not been finalized or
previously constructed, including changes in labor costs and
productivity, adverse weather conditions, shortages and
inconsistent quality of equipment, materials, and labor, contractor
or supplier delay, non-performance under operating or other
agreements, operational readiness, including specialized operator
training and required site safety programs, unforeseen engineering
or design problems, start-up activities (including major equipment
failure and system integration), and/or operational performance
(including additional costs to satisfy any operational parameters
ultimately adopted by the Mississippi Public Service Commission
("PSC")); the ability to construct facilities in accordance with
the requirements of permits and licenses, to satisfy any
environmental performance standards and the requirements of tax
credits and other incentives, and to integrate facilities into the
Southern Company system upon completion of construction; advances
in technology; actions related to cost recovery for the Kemper
IGCC, including the ultimate impact of the 2015 decision of the
Mississippi Supreme Court, the Mississippi PSC's December 2015 rate order, and related legal
or regulatory proceedings, Mississippi PSC review of the prudence
of Kemper IGCC costs and approval of further permanent rate
recovery plans, actions relating to proposed securitization,
satisfaction of requirements to utilize grants, and the ultimate
impact of the termination of the proposed sale of an interest in
the Kemper IGCC to South Mississippi Electric Power Association;
and the ability of counterparties of Mississippi Power to make
payments as and when due and to perform as required. Southern
Company and Mississippi Power expressly disclaim any obligation to
update any forward-looking information.
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SOURCE Southern Company