據能源網2月9日休斯敦報道，世界最大的碳捕獲設施的所有者JX Nippon計劃在這個耗資10億美元的工廠關閉三年后恢復其運營，這為一個專家視為實現氣候目標至關重要的新興行業提供了一個測試案例。

JX Nippon在回復問題的電子郵件中表示，該公司計劃在NRG能源公司(NRG Energy Inc.)完成對與其相連燃煤發電機組的維修后，重啟得克薩斯州佩特拉諾瓦(Petra Nova)工廠。NRG表示，計劃在6月完成這項工作。

該項目的恢復將標志著美國碳捕獲工作向前邁出了重要一步，為一個被批評者視為該行業最引人注目的失敗項目提供了新生機。美國的《通脹削減法案》提供了主要的稅收激勵措施，以促進減少化石燃料燃燒排放的技術的發展。一些環保主義者認為，即便奏效，碳捕獲也能延長石油和天然氣開采的壽命。支持者表示，對高污染行業進行脫碳沒有其他可行的選擇。

該項目建造成本耗資10億美元，其中包括美國政府提供的1.95億美元支持的Petra Nova工廠，將從燃燒煤炭中捕獲的碳運至希爾科能源公司（Hilcorp Energy Co.）運營的一個油田，用于通過一種稱為提高石油采收率的工藝提取原油。在這個過程中，二氧化碳就像肥皂一樣擠出石油，然后儲存在地下深處的儲層中。

據NRG稱，在其運營的三年中，它是世界上最大的化石燃料余燼碳捕獲工廠（以每年捕獲的噸數計）。

但NRG在一份聲明中表示，在油價暴跌和原油產量“使項目經濟面臨挑戰”后，該系統在2020年步履蹣跚。去年年底，NRG以360萬美元的價格將其持有的Petra Nova 50%的股份出售給了JX Nippon，使這家日本公司成為其唯一所有者。

JX Nippon發言人Hoshina Tatsuro在電子郵件中表示，該公司的目標是進一步了解碳捕集過程，并幫助其位于東京的母公司Eneos Holdings股份有限公司到2040年實現碳中和。他稱，Petra Nova的可行性主要取決于石油價格。

碳捕獲被一些人視為將全球變暖限制在比工業化前水平高1.5攝氏度的重要工具，因為它可以使用化石燃料，同時消除它們的排放。然而，與風能、太陽能等其他低碳技術相比，由于成本高、技術難度大，尚處于起步階段。

根據能源建模師預測，到2030年，美國的碳捕獲量將增加十倍，達到2億噸，因為IRA稅收減免以及來自客戶和監管機構的壓力鼓勵了排放企業進行碳捕獲。但是，根據國際能源署（International Energy Agency）的說法，即使是這一崇高目標，也遠未達到世界要實現巴黎氣候協定所需的捕獲62億噸目標。

支持者聲稱Petra Nova工廠在技術上取得了成功。前所有者NRG在美國能源部贊助的一份報告中表示，位于大休斯敦的這家工廠從煤炭裝置加工的天然氣中捕獲了92.4%的二氧化碳，并證明可以建設一個商業規模的項目。

然而，該報告還顯示，由于各種系統部件的大量停機，運行頭兩年的碳捕獲量“遠低于預期”。

環境研究機構能源經濟與金融分析研究所（Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis）主任大衛·施利塞爾（David Schlissel）表示，NRG決定以低于成本的優惠價格出售，這表明該工廠要么難以運營，要么不經濟。在任何情況下，該設施的所謂氣候效益都因其用于延長油田壽命而受到損害。

他稱：“生產石油更多，燃燒這些石油會產生更多二氧化碳。最終結果是產生的二氧化碳抵消了部分(如果不是全部)捕獲的二氧化碳。”

郝芬 譯自 能源網

原文如下：

The World’s Largest Carbon Capture Plant Gets a Second Chance in Texas – Bloomberg

Owners of the world’s largest carbon capture facility plan to restore operations at the $1 billion plant three years after it shut down, providing a test case for a nascent industry that experts believe is essential in achieving climate goals.

JX Nippon aims to restart the Petra Nova facility in Texas after NRG Energy Inc. finishes repairs on the coal-fired power unit to which it is connected, the company said in an emailed response to questions. NRG said it’s scheduled to complete the work in June.

The resumption would mark a significant step forward for US carbon capture, providing a new lease of life for a project that critics saw as one of the industry’s highest-profile failures. The Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act provides major tax incentives to boost development of the technology that would scrub emissions from burning fossil fuels. Some environmentalists contend that even if it works, carbon capture extends the life of oil and gas extraction. Supporters say there’s no other viable option to decarbonizing high-polluting industries.

Petra Nova, which cost $1 billion to build including $195 million from the US government, shipped carbon it captured from burning coal to an oil field operated by Hilcorp Energy Co., where it was used to extract crude through a process called enhanced oil recovery. In that process, the carbon dioxide acts like soap to squeeze out oil and is then stored in reservoirs deep underground.

During its three years of operation it was the world’s largest post-combustion carbon capture plant by tonnes captured annually, according to NRG.

But the system faltered in 2020 after plunging oil prices and crude production “made the project economics challenging,” NRG said in a statement. NRG sold its 50% stake in Petra Nova to JX Nippon for $3.6 million at the end of last year, making the Japanese company its sole owner.

JX Nippon’s goal is to obtain further technical knowledge of the carbon capture process and help Eneos Holdings Inc., its Tokyo-based parent, become carbon neutral by 2040, spokesman Hoshina Tatsuro said by email. Petra Nova’s feasibility depends mainly on the price of oil, he said.

Carbon capture is seen by some as a vital tool to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels because it enables the use of fossil fuels while removing their emissions. However, compared to other low carbon technologies like wind and solar power, it’s still in its infancy due to high cost and technical difficulty.

Energy modelers forecast that US carbon capture will rise tenfold to to 200 million metric tons by 2030, as emitters are encouraged by IRA tax breaks as well as pressure from customers and regulators. But even that lofty target is far from the 6.2 billion metric tons required to be captured if the world is to meet the goals of the Paris climate accord, according to the International Energy Agency.

Advocates claim Petra Nova was a technical success. The plant, located in greater Houston, captured 92.4% of the carbon dioxide from gas processed from the coal unit and demonstrated that a commercial-scale project can be built, former owner NRG said in a report sponsored by the Department of Energy.

However, the report also revealed that the amount of carbon captured in the first two years of operation “fell well below expectations” due to extensive downtime of various system parts.

NRG’s decision to sell at a fraction of its cost suggests the plant was either difficult to run or uneconomic, said David Schlissel, a director at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, an environmental research group. In any case, the facility’s purported climate benefits are undermined by the fact that it was used to extend the life of an oil field.  

“You’re producing more oil, and burning that oil which produces CO2,” he said. “The end result offsets some if not all of the CO2 you’re capturing.”