Petra Nova, a joint venture between NRG Energy Inc. (NRG) and JX Nippon Oil and Gas Exploration Corporation (JX Nippon) is wrapping up a hugely successful first year of operations, culminating in being named POWER magazine’s plant of the year.

Petra Nova began commercial operation at the W. A. Parish Plant in Thompsons, Texas, southwest of Houston January 10, 2017. The project is designed to capture 1.6 million tons of carbon per year using the Kansai Mitsubishi Carbon Dioxide Recovery (KM-CDR) Process^©.

Secretary of Energy Rick Perry took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the official opening of Petra Nova earlier this spring.

“I commend all those who contributed to this major achievement,” said Secretary Perry during the ceremony. “While the Petra Nova project will certainly benefit Texas, it also demonstrates that clean coal technologies can have a meaningful and positive impact on the nation’s energy security and economic growth.”

The Petra Nova project was finished on time and on budget, and despite its unprecedented scale (i.e., the largest post-combustion carbon capture project installed on an existing coal-fired power plant), it was completed in roughly 1.78 million man-hours without a single lost-time incident during construction. NETL played no small part in making all of that happen through the dedicated work of our program management personnel.

The Petra Nova project, which received financial and project management support from DOE and NETL, is showing how carbon-capture technologies can support the flexibility and sustainability of fossil fuels at a commercial scale.

The successful commencement of Petra Nova operations also represents an important step in advancing technologies that capture carbon. Its success could become the model for future coal-fired power generation facilities and the addition of this capability could support carbon pipeline infrastructure development and drive domestic EOR opportunities.