Trailblazer will be a 600MW net electricity generating plant fueled by pulverized coal, and is expected to be a full-scale commercial power plants in Texas to capture 85% to 90% of the carbon dioxide (CO2) byproduct, sending it via pipeline to the Permian Basin to be used in enhanced oil recovery.
Based on the projected rate of capture, the plant will emit less CO2 than an equivalent capacity natural gas-fueled plant. Econamine FG Plus is a Fluor proprietary, amine-based technology for large-scale, post-combustion CO2 capture.
Michael Lebens, president of Tenaska’s Engineering & Operations Group, said: “Fluor’s Econamine FG Plus technology has been licensed at commercial scale in 26 industrial plants worldwide, including three in the US.”
“The combination of Fluor’s expertise with the technology and its 20 years of experience in practical applications makes it the best choice for use at Trailblazer.”
Tenaska’s initial design and engineering work for Trailblazer also is being performed by Fluor, the project’s engineering, procurement and construction contractor. The captured CO2 used in enhanced oil recovery will add more than 10 million barrels of oil production annually to the West Texas economy.
Arch Coal has a 35% equity interest in the project and will supply the coal from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming.
Tenaska recently completed an administrative hearing on its application for a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) air quality permit, and expects to have a final permit by the end of this year.
