Hydrogen Energy California facing significant issues

July 2, 2013 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

The California Energy Commission and the U.S. Department of Energy have issued a preliminary staff assessment and environmental impact statement of the proposed Hydrogen Energy California (HECA) project, which would use integrated gasification combined cycle and carbon capture technology on a commercial scale, concluding that the proposed facility has significant and unresolved issues.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Hannahpayne

There are 15 technical sections with either significant unmitigated impacts, non-compliance with applicable laws, ordinances, regulations, and standards (LORS), or outstanding issues that need resolution through additional data, further discussion and/or analysis, including air quality; biological resources; carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions; cultural resources; land use; noise and vibration; soil and surface water resources; traffic and transportation; visual resources; waste management; water supply; geology and paleontology; power plant efficiency; power plant reliability; and transmission system engineering.

The DOE is proposing to provide financial assistance to design, construct, and demonstrate the HECA project. A forthcoming final staff assessment and environmental impact statement will help decide if the HECA project will be awarded funding.

If awarded funding, the HECA project would be located on 1,106 acres of private agricultural land and use an integrated gasification, combined cycle system to produce and sell electricity, carbon dioxide, and fertilizer. The project would gasify coal and petroleum coke to produce synthesis gas (syngas). The hydrogen-rich syngas fuel would be used to generate up to 431 MW of electricity.

The proposed plant would capture about 90 percent of the carbon dioxide produced from the gasification process and transport it by pipeline for use at the adjacent Elk Hills Oil Field for enhanced oil recovery resulting in sequestration.

Once underway, the $4 billion HECA project will take about four years to complete. Construction is projected to start January 2014 with commercial operation expected by April 2018.

For more:
- see the report