PPL, affiliates awarded grant to develop carbon capture technology

Pennsylvania-based energy company, PPL Corporation announced that it and its research partners will receive a $72 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) for a carbon capture project.

The carbon dioxide capture system, developed in partnership with the University of Kentucky and others, will use advanced heat-integration CO2 capture technology at PPL subsidiaries Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company’s Cane Run 7 natural gas combined-cycle generating station in Louisville. Officials said the goal of the project is to capture up to 240 tons of CO2 per day and up to 90,000 metric tons of CO2 per year, the equivalent of capturing the CO2 emissions from 20,000 gasoline-powered cars per year, the OCED said.

“Across PPL, we continue to pursue a comprehensive clean energy strategy to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050,” PPL President and Chief Executive Officer Vincent Sorgi said. “As part of our strategy, we’re focused on driving innovation and advancing technologies that can be scaled safely, reliably and affordably to meet our customers’ energy needs, including carbon capture and sequestration technologies.”

The current plans include reusing the captured CO2 and purifying it in its entirety by a nearby manufacturer. The project is also designed to expand existing training and internship programs in an effort to create a workforce development plan that collaborates with local community leaders, as well as partnering with local colleges and universities.

In addition to UK, collaborators on the project include EPRI; Kentucky State University; Visage Energy; and American Welding & Gas. Officials said Vogt Power International Inc., a Babcock Power Inc. subsidiary, and Siemens Energy, manufacturers of the Cane Run 7 Generating Station, will also be contributing their support as part of the project team integrating the new CO2 capture system.

The project is one of more than 150 research and development projects PPL is working on with more than 30 industry and academic partners.

“There is tremendous value in collaboration when it comes to unlocking and accelerating clean energy innovation,” said Sorgi. “And in this endeavor, we’re thankful for the Department of Energy’s support and eager to get to work with our research partners in driving innovation that can ultimately benefit our customers and the planet.”