The city of Austin is taking first steps toward a new "clean coal" power plant, as the city council prepares to open up discussion for land acquisition in southeast Texas. The city-owned utility Austin Energy is looking to partner with a company in San Antonio for the purchase of land to serve as a possible plant site, Austin Energy spokesman Ed Clark said.
"We know in the next 10 years, we're going to need additional generation," Clark said. "Our goal is to secure land for a possible generating site."
The city is primarily considering an integrated gasification combined cycle plant with carbon-capture capabilities for the site, Councilman Lee Leffingwell said. While a concrete decision on the type of plant to be constructed has not been reached, Leffingwell said the city prefers Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle with carbon sequestration, a relatively clean method capable of meeting the city's power needs.
The land in question, a large parcel in Matagorda County, has been selected for a variety of reasons, including proximity to the Colorado River and work force availability, Clark said. Leffingwell said the site also has unique geological features that will facilitate the desired type of IGCC plant.
"This particular area has underground domes that will probably work for the carbon capture," he said. "They could simply inject the carbon into the domes, and it would not have to be released into the atmosphere."
Councilman Mike Martinez said Austin Energy and San Antonio's CPS Energy have been in communication for the past few weeks about a joint purchase of the land, and that the goal of the partnership is to minimize costs. The two companies have worked together in the past and are presently co-owners of the South Texas Nuclear Project, also in Matagorda. Leffingwell said a new plant, however, would be unrelated to the nuclear site.
Recently, power plant construction in Texas has become a particularly contentious issue. The city's considerations for a clean coal plant stand in contrast to the plan Gov. Rick Perry announced last year to build 17 new plants across the state using older coal fire technology, a move lamented by environmentalists as having negative implications for the atmosphere. Mayor Will Wynn was clear that Austin will not be taking a similar approach.
"I won't even consider allowing Austin Energy to build, or partner with someone to build, a traditional coal plant," Wynn said.
Council members agree, however, that a new "clean" power plant of about 300 megawatts is a logical step for meeting the energy needs of the city's growing population. The council will be briefed about site and plant logistics in executive session and vote on authorizing purchase of the land at Thursday's meeting.
In addition to a Matagorda plant, Leffingwell said, the city will continue to pursue alternative energy projects such as wind and solar energy and maintains a goal for alternative energy to account for 20 percent of the city's total energy output by the year 2020.
"Austin Energy is the leader in the country, and has been for the last three years in a row, in alternative energy sales," he said. "We want to continue on that track."
Be the first to comment on this article!