Major Clean Coal Project in Mississippi Shuts Down [View all]

[Rhiannon12866]

Billions over budget and three years behind, the Kemper County coal gasification project will now produce electricity using natural gas

Kemper County Power Generation Facility, the flagship “clean coal” project in rural eastern Mississippi, will rely on natural gas rather than coal to produce electricity, reports Henry Fountain at The New York Times.

The plant, owned by Southern Company, was intended to demonstrate technology that would clean up even the dirtiest of coals. As Fountain writes, "[t]he lignite coal that is mined adjacent to the Kemper County plant emits more climate-warming carbon dioxide per unit of heat than other coal, and far more than natural gas."

However, as of this month, the project is three years behind schedule and has spent more than $4 billion over its initial budget of $2.9 billion, Jeff Amy reports for the Associated Press. In 2015, the Mississippi Public Service Commission, which regulates public utilities in the state, allowed the company to raise rates by 15 percent to try to recoup $840 million spent on equipment costs.

Last week the worsening situation prompted the Public Service Commission to take action. Not wanting to pass the skyrocketing price tag over to consumers, the Commission is requiring Mississippi Power to begin negotiations to settle the plant's outstanding costs. The Commission also noted that the plant will run only on natural gas going forward.


More: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/major-clean-coal-project-mississippi-shut-down-180963898/



Kemper County coal gasification plant