What does the mothballing of Petra Nova mean for the project’s future financial viability?Īny investor considering taking a position in any future coal-fired CCS project will want these six questions fully answered.Has the Petra Nova project been economic?.Has the captured CO2 actually boosted oil production at NRG’s affiliated oil field?.

What has it cost to capture a ton of CO2 at Petra Nova?.Why didn’t the project capture as much CO2 as proponents had predicted?.Before it was mothballed, was Petra Nova really consistently capturing 90% of the carbon dioxide in the 240MW slipstream it was processing?.In truth, essential questions about its performance and feasibility have never been answered, an awkward fact that should give potential investors in similar projects serious pause. This lack of transparency is all the more worrisome given that the plant’s alleged success is being used to support the development of other CCS projects. NRG’s decision to shutter Petra Nova also underscores the serious lack of transparency surrounding the plant and its operations. coal-fired carbon capture projects, including Enchant Energy’s plan for the San Juan Generating Station in New Mexico and Minnkota Power Cooperative’s Tundra Project at the Milton R. The mothballing of Petra Nova highlights the deep financial risks facing other proposed U.S. NRG’s plans for the project remain uncertain, with the company only saying it could be brought back online “when economics improve.” These questions have only been heightened by NRG’s official announcement in late July that it mothballed the carbon capture project in the spring due to falling oil prices.

But there have long been serious questions about the performance at Petra Nova.

Nova patra fail