Google’s Bets On Carbon Capture Power Plants, Which Have A Mixed Record

Google said coming that it will put successful a earthy state powerfulness works successful Illinois that intends to seizure nan mostly of its c emissions.

The 400-megawatt powerfulness works will beryllium built extracurricular of Decatur adjacent to an ethanol works tally by Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), which already captures CO2 from its operations. Google will bargain astir of nan energy to powerfulness its adjacent information centers, while ADM will usage immoderate of nan powerfulness plant’s steam and electricity. Low Carbon Infrastructure is processing nan caller project.  

Google intends to seizure “approximately 90%” of nan CO2 generated by nan powerfulness plant, nan institution said.

Carbon dioxide from Google’s powerfulness works will beryllium injected into nan aforesaid geological retention formations already utilized by ADM’s ethanol facility. The tract is nan location of nan first semipermanent CO2 retention good successful nan U.S.

Typically, astir 2,000 metric tons of CO2 are sent into nan good each day. But injections location were halted successful 2024 erstwhile salty brine, which stores dissolved CO2 heavy underground, was recovered to person migrated into “unauthorized zones,” according to nan EPA. ADM said nan leak was nan consequence of corrosion astatine a monitoring well, E&E News reported, and they’ve since resumed injections.

While c seizure and retention (CCS) shows awesome committedness astatine reducing c emissions from ember and earthy state powerfulness plants, it has a mixed grounds successful nan field. 

A recent study of 13 CCS accommodation representing 55% of each captured c shows that astir aren’t surviving up to expectations. An ExxonMobil installation successful Wyoming, which processes earthy gas, has been capturing 36% little than expected. The astir analogous to Google’s project, a 115-megawatt powerfulness works successful Canada, has only captured astir 50% what it had promised.

CCS, erstwhile it works, tin thief mitigate contamination from burning earthy state to make power, but it won’t do thing to reside nan methane leaks that hap passim nan earthy state proviso chain. Methane is simply a potent greenhouse gas, generating 84 times much warming complete 20 years than c dioxide.

As a result, leaks tin importantly alteration nan c accounting. With leakage rates of conscionable 2%, burning earthy state unabated puts it on par pinch coal. Capturing nan c will trim that figure, but it can’t destruct nan warming generated by extracting and transporting earthy gas.