Carbon Capture Is Unaffordable, Says Wyoming Power Company

Black Hills Energy has requested a one-year extension on what was supposed to be its final plan on how it will meet a state mandate to retrofit two coal-fired power plants for carbon capture by 2030.

So far the company's analysis says it can reach 0% of the state’s 80% carbon capture standard while keeping reasonable rates for its customers.

“The research and studies regarding low-carbon energy portfolios, and specifically carbon capture, are quickly developing,” Black Hills Energy attorney Jana Smoot White told the Wyoming Public Service Commission on Thursday.

“They’re probably not at a state where we would be comfortable presenting a final plan at the end of next month.”

The commission will meet again in 90 to consider this request.  That delay is because the state's Legislature is working on legislation that could alter the current timeline.

In the video below a climate scientist from Oxford explains why carbon capture does not work.

The Senate is working on "File 42"  which would set low-carbon reliable energy standards. That amendment passed on Friday and is heading to the House for consideration.

Lawmakers would like to push the deadline back from 2030 to 2033.

Problems include: Developing technology to comply with the mandate and attracting 3rd party operators.

Carbon capture could cost up to $1 billion per coal unit.

It's a cost that would be passed on to ratepayers, (the public).

World Wide Carbon Capture Is Not Working.

After billions of dollars have already been spent over decades with no actual carbon capture success.  The Petra Nova coal plant in Texas finally closed for good last year. It was a complete failure.

The San Juan Generating Station in New Mexico was once the biggest capture project in the world. It's closing.

The U.S. Department of Energy spent $6.9 billion on the feasibility of CCS for coal. Nothing came of it.

Carbon Capture Takes A Lot Of Energy.

CCS takes a new power plant to run the system. That's using more energy to get rid of what they're trying to get rid of.

Governor Gordon wants Wyoming to team up with Colorado on direct capture.

Those systems are expensive to create. Requires a lot of energy to run and doesn't actually capture enough to make any meaningful difference.

Carbon Capture Actually Increases Emissions.

The way these systems are currently set up they produce more CO2 than the system removes. 

If they think that the power to run the system can be run by wind farms, they are sadly mistaken.

“Succesful” capture projects only exist at facilities where the carbon is injected into existing wells to extract more oil. This is referred to as “enhanced oil recovery.”

Past Storage Failures

Failure during injection has called blowouts that result in large amounts of CO2. leaking back into the air.

A CO2 pipeline in Mississippi ruptured last year. All that time, money, and resources, for what?