{{Short description|Power station in Mississippi, US}} {{Use American English|date=July 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2018}} {{Infobox power station | name = Kemper Project | name_official = Kemper County energy facility | image = Kemper Project Construction.png | image_size = | image_caption = | image_alt = | location_map_size = | location_map_caption= Location of Kemper Project in Mississippi | location_map_alt = | coordinates = {{coord|32|39|4.45|N|88|45|32.5|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}} | country = United States | location = Kemper County, Mississippi | status = O | construction_began = June 3, 2010 | commissioned = | decommissioned = | cost = $6.7 billion<ref name="SEC_investigation">{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|title=Mississippi Power: SEC investigating Kemper project|url=http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/2016/05/05/mississippi-power-sec-investigating-kemper-project/84006946/|access-date=July 5, 2016|publisher=Clarion-Ledger|date=May 6, 2016}}</ref> | owner = *Mississippi Power *<s>South Mississippi Electric Power Association</s><ref name="smepa-pulls" /> | operator = <!------------------------- GENERAL --> | th_fuel_primary = Natural gas | th_fuel_secondary = | th_fuel_tertiary = | ps_units_operational= | ps_units_manu_model = | ps_units_uc = 582-megawatt | ps_units_planned = | ps_units_decommissioned= | ps_electrical_capacity= 582-megawatt electric | ps_electrical_cap_fac= | ps_annual_generation= | th_cogeneration = | th_combined_cycle = | website = {{Official website|www.mississippipower.com/about-energy/plants/kemper-county-energy-facility/}} | extra = }}
The '''Kemper Project''', also called the '''Kemper County energy facility''' or '''Plant Ratcliffe''', is a natural gas-fired electrical generating station currently under construction in Kemper County, Mississippi. Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, began construction of the plant in 2010.<ref>{{cite news|title=Public Service Commission to consider Mississippi Power Kemper rate increase on Tuesday|url=http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/03/public_service_commission_to_c.html|publisher=gulflive.com|date=March 4, 2013}}</ref> The initial, coal-fired project was central to President Obama's Climate Plan, as it was to be based on "clean coal"<ref name=kemp2016>Ian Urbina. [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/05/science/kemper-coal-mississippi.html?_r=0 Piles of dirty secrets behind model "clean coal" project], ''The New York Times'', July 5, 2016.</ref> and was being considered for more support from the Congress and the incoming Trump Administration in late 2016.<ref>Smith, Rebecca, [https://www.wsj.com/articles/troubled-coal-fired-plant-could-get-new-lifeline-1482321602 "Troubled Coal-Fired Plant Could Get New Lifeline" (subscription)], ''Wall Street Journal'', December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2016.</ref> If it had become operational with coal, the Kemper Project would have been a first-of-its-kind electricity plant to employ gasification and carbon capture technologies at this scale.<ref name=Guardian>{{cite news | last1=Goldenberg | first1 = Suzanne | title = Can Kemper become the first US power plant to use 'clean coal'? | url = https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/mar/12/kemper-us-power-plant-coal-carbon | access-date = July 14, 2014 | work = The Guardian | date = March 12, 2014}}</ref>
Project management problems had been noted at the Kemper Project.<ref name=kemp2016/> The plant was supposed to be in service by May 2014, at a cost of $2.4 billion. As of June 2017, the project was still not in service, and the cost had increased to $7.5 billion.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Swartz|first1=Kristi|title=Southern Co.'s clean coal plant hits a dead end|url=https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060056418|access-date=June 27, 2017|publisher=EE News|date=June 22, 2017}}</ref> According to a Sierra Club analysis, Kemper is the most expensive power plant ever built, based on its generating capacity.<ref name="Drajem">{{cite web | last = Drajem | first = Mark | title = Coal's Best Hope Rising With Costliest U.S. Power Plant | publisher = Bloomberg Business | date = April 14, 2014 | url = https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-04-14/coal-s-best-hope-rising-with-costliest-u-s-power-plant}}</ref> In June 2017, Southern Company and Mississippi Power announced that the Kemper project would switch to burning only natural gas in an effort to manage costs.<ref name='ars_nat_gas_2017'>{{cite news|last1=Geuss|first1=Megan|title=$7.5 billion Kemper power plant suspends coal gasification|url=https://arstechnica.com/business/2017/06/7-5-billion-kemper-power-plant-suspends-coal-gasification/ |publisher=Ars Technica|date=June 29, 2017 |access-date=July 1, 2017}}</ref>
==Background== Kemper County is a small county in eastern Mississippi, roughly 30 miles north of Meridian.<ref>[https://maps.google.com/maps?q=kemper+county&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl "Kemper County"], ''maps.google.com''.</ref> Kemper County was chosen as the site for the plant to take advantage of local brown coal (lignite), an untapped natural resource, while providing geographic diversity to help balance the electric demand and strengthen electric reliability in Mississippi.<ref>{{cite web|title=FAQs|url=http://www.mississippipower.com/about-energy/plants/kemper-county-energy-facility/faqs|website=mississippipower.com|publisher=Mississippi Power}}</ref> Mississippi Power is a large energy company based in Gulfport, providing energy for Gulfport, Biloxi, Hattiesburg, Meridian, Pascagoula, Columbia, Laurel, Waveland, Lucedale and Picayune.<ref>[http://meridianstar.com/local/x20304772/Companies-join-forces-on-Kemper-County-IGCC-project "Companies join forces on Kemper County IGCC project"], ''meridianstar.com'', September 15, 2009.</ref>
Mississippi Power intended the Kemper Project to produce cleaner energy through the use of integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) and carbon capture technologies, eliminating the majority of emissions normally emitted by a traditional coal plant.<ref name=EB01>[http://www.mississippipower.com/about-energy/plants/kemper-county-energy-facility/environmental-benefits "Environmental Benefits"], mississippipower.com.</ref> A study conducted by Southern Company (parent of Mississippi Power) stated that the Kemper Project would have been "a large undertaking with high visibility and ... help set the stage for future coal-based power generation.<ref name = "NETL"/>
On June 3, 2010, the Mississippi Public Service Commission certified the project and the ground-breaking ceremony took place.<ref name = "NETL"/> Governor Haley Barbour was present.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110928001618/http://www.gulfcoastnews.com/GCNnewsGovKemperGroundbreaker121610.htm "Gov. Barbour Celebrates Clean Coal Plant in Kemper County" (press release)], ''gulfcoastnews.com'' via ''web.archive.org'', December 16, 2010.</ref>
==Timeline== {{prose|section|date=March 2018}} * 2008: Conceptual design initiated * 2010: Mississippi Public Service Commission approves project * 2010: Construction begins * 2011: Building foundation begins * 2012: Above ground construction started * 2013 :* August: Connection of the site's 230 kilovolt transmission lines :* September: First firing of the plant's combustion turbine (CTs) achieved<ref>[http://southerncompany.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=2926 "Construction milestones reached at Kemper, first fire of CT complete" (news release)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413145426/http://southerncompany.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=2926 |date=April 13, 2014 }}, ''southerncompany.mediaroom.com'',</ref> :* October: Combined cycle unit originally synchronized to the grid<ref>{{cite news|title=Kemper project reaches major milestone with commercial operation of combined cycle unit|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kemper-project-reaches-major-milestone-with-commercial-operation-of-combined-cycle-unit-271280871.html |publisher=PR NewsWire|date=August 14, 2014}}</ref> :* December: Final transmission line that will carry electricity was energized<ref>{{cite web|title=Kemper Progress Report Q4 2013|url=http://www.mississippipower.com/pdf/Q4_2013KemperProgressReport.pdf|website=mississippipower.com|publisher=Mississippi Power|access-date=February 2, 2015|archive-date=February 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203020127/http://www.mississippipower.com/pdf/Q4_2013KemperProgressReport.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> * 2014 :* July: Pneumatic tests on gasifiers used to convert lignite to synthetic gas successfully tested<ref name="Energy Fairness">{{cite news|title=Kemper County Plant Passes Important Milestones|url=http://energyfairness.org/2014/07/kemper-county-plant-passes-important-milestones/ |access-date=August 8, 2014|publisher=Energy Fairness|date=July 21, 2013|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140809231313/http://energyfairness.org/2014/07/kemper-county-plant-passes-important-milestones/ |archive-date=August 9, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> :* July: Combined cycle unit responsible for generating electricity successfully tested<ref name="Energy Fairness"/> :* August: Combined cycle unit in commercial operation and available to serve customers. Mississippi Power identified this milestone as the most significant to date.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Thies|first1=Chris |title=Mississippi Power's Kemper County plant reaches major milestone|url=http://www.wlox.com/story/26282849/mississippi-powers-kemper-county-plant-reaches-major-milestone |publisher=WLOX|date=August 14, 2014}}</ref> :* October: Delays postpone in-service date to first half of 2016, and increase estimated cost to $6.1 billion.<ref name="Patel">{{cite web | last = Patel | first = Sonal | title = Kemper County IGCC Project Costs Soar to $6.1B | publisher = Power | date = October 29, 2014 | url = http://www.powermag.com/kemper-county-igcc-project-costs-soar-to-6-1b/}}</ref> :* December: 48 "steam blows" successfully completed. Steam blow is the process of blowing steam through pipes to ensure that they are clean, tight, and leak free.<ref>{{cite news|title=Steam blows at energy facility end successfully|url=http://kempercountymessenger.com/main.asp?SectionID=75&SubSectionID=152&ArticleID=4862|publisher=Kemper County Messenger|date=December 17, 2014|archive-date=March 4, 2016|access-date=February 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304075305/http://kempercountymessenger.com/main.asp?SectionID=75&SubSectionID=152&ArticleID=4862|url-status=dead}}</ref> * 2015 :* March: First fire of gasifiers successfully completed. The gasifiers, the centerpiece of the project, are designed to convert lignite coal to synthetic gas, or syngas, for use in power generation.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Havens|first1=April |title=Mississippi Power: First fire of Kemper County energy plant gasifiers a success|url=http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-business/2015/03/mississippi_power_first_fire_o.html |publisher=Gulf Live|date=March 9, 2015}}</ref> :* May: The South Mississippi Electric Power Association decided not to purchase a 15 percent interest in the Kemper Project.<ref name="smepa-pulls">{{Cite web|url=http://www.pennenergy.com/articles/pennenergy/2015/05/power-news-electrical-cooperative-pulls-out-of-kemper-plant-deal.html|title=SMEPA pulls out of Kemper coal power plant deal|date=May 21, 2015|first=Jeff|last=Amy|work=PennEnergy|access-date=2018-06-18|archive-date=June 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618075755/http://www.pennenergy.com/articles/pennenergy/2015/05/power-news-electrical-cooperative-pulls-out-of-kemper-plant-deal.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> :* September: Mississippi Power adjusted scheduled completion to a date after April 19, 2016. Because of this delay, the company will be required to pay back $234 million in investment tax credits to the Internal Revenue Service.<ref name="Garcia">{{cite web | last = Garcia | first = Christina | title = Kemper Co. Plant Cost Increases $15 million, Company Says Customers Won't Pay | publisher = WLOX | date = September 29, 2015 | url = http://www.wlox.com/story/30145494/kemper-co-plant-cost-increases-15-million-company-says-customers-wont-pay}}</ref> * 2016 :* March: Southern Co. reported to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that the cost of the Kemper Project had increased due to "repairs and modifications". The updated cost of the project was $6.6 billion.<ref>{{cite web | title = Southern Co.'s Kemper Power Plant Costs Rise Yet Again | publisher = Atlanta Business Chronicle | date = April 4, 2016 | url = http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2016/04/04/southern-co-s-kemper-power-plant-costs-rise-yet.html}}</ref> :* July: First of two gasifiers produces syngas.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=Mississippi Power: Syngas Production Starts at Kemper Plant|url=http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2016/jul/16/mississippi-power-syngas-production-starts-kemper-/ |website=Jackson Free Press}}</ref> :* September: Second of two gasifiers produces syngas.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|title=Kemper facility reaches another milestone with lignite|url=http://www.sunherald.com/news/business/article102190572.html |website=SunHerald|access-date=October 31, 2016}}</ref> :* October: Plant produces electricity using syngas in first of two gasifiers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.power-eng.com/articles/2016/10/long-delayed-kemper-county-hybrid-plant-produces-first-electricity.html |title=Long-Delayed Kemper County Coal Plant Produces First Electricity|website=www.power-eng.com|access-date=October 31, 2016}}</ref> * 2017 :* March: Southern Co. discovered leaks that will cause it to miss scheduled mid-March completion of the project.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2017/03/19/completion-of-southern-co-s-new-kemper-power-plant.html |title=Completion of Southern Co.'s new Kemper power plant delayed again |website=www.bizjournals.com |access-date=July 1, 2017}}</ref> :* June: Kemper power plant suspends coal gasification.<ref name='ars_nat_gas_2017'/> {{update inline|date=June 2021}} * 2021, October: the gasification structure was demolished<ref>{{cite web |title=IEEFA U.S.: Southern Company demolishes part of the $7.5 billion-dollar Kemper power plant in Mississippi |url=https://ieefa.org/ieefa-u-s-southern-company-demolishes-part-of-the-7-5-billion-dollar-kemper-power-plant-in-mississippi/ |website=Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis |date=14 October 2021}}</ref>
== Lignite == Lignite is a soft, brownish-black coal that has the lowest energy content of any type of coal. It is also very dirty when burned.<ref>[http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2013/04/f0/MS_Coal_Studyguide_draft1.pdf "Fossil Energy Study Guide: Coal"], ''energy.gov''.</ref> thumb|Lignite coal According to the Lignite Energy Council about 79 percent of lignite coal is used to generate electricity, 13.5 percent to generate synthetic natural gas, and 7.5 percent to produce fertilizer products. Mississippi has an estimated five billion tons of coal reserves, consisting almost entirely of eocene lignite. The typical lignite beds that can be economically mined range from two to nine feet thick. Mississippi's lignite resources equal about 13 percent of total U.S. lignite reserves.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mcrcc.osmre.gov/MCR/States/Mississippi.shtm |title=Mississippi |access-date=September 17, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017234647/http://www.mcrcc.osmre.gov/MCR/States/Mississippi.shtm |archive-date=October 17, 2013 }}</ref>
The Kemper plant was expected to use about 375,000 tons of locally mined lignite per month or almost 185 million tons over the plant's expected 40-year life.<ref name = "mspowertimeline">{{Cite web | title = Kemper County energy facility - Project Timeline | work = Mississippi Power | access-date = May 26, 2014 | url = http://www.mississippipower.com/kemper/Timeline.asp | archive-date = June 11, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140611043808/http://www.mississippipower.com/kemper/timeline.asp | url-status = dead }}</ref> TRIG technology can utilize lignite, which is also a driving factor of the technology.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gasification and TRIG|url=http://www.mississippipower.com/about-energy/plants/kemper-county-energy-facility/gasification-and-trig|website=mississippipower.com|publisher=Mississippi Power}}</ref>
==Technology== Mississippi Power's Kemper plant was intended to be an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) facility, utilizing a technology known as "transport integrated gasification" (TRIG) to convert lignite coal—mined on the Kemper site—into syngas.<ref name="sseb.org">{{cite web|title=The Kemper Project IGCC Project Overview – Richard Esposito SECARB Stakeholders' Briefing|url=http://www.sseb.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Richard-Esposito.pdf|publisher=SSEB}}</ref> The natural gas would then have been used to power turbines to generate electricity.<ref name = "Mufson">{{Cite news | last = Mufson | first = Steven | title = Intended showcase of clean-coal future hits snags | newspaper = The Washington Post | date = May 16, 2013| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/intended-showcase-of-clean-coal-future-hits-snags/2014/05/16/fc03e326-cfd2-11e3-b812-0c92213941f4_story.html}}</ref>
Mississippi Power stated that, by adding coal to its sources of power, it wished to add balance to its fuel-source choices, and be less reliant on any one form of energy.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fuel Diversity|url=http://www.mississippipower.com/about-energy/plants/kemper-county-energy-facility/fuel-diversity|website=mississippipower.com|publisher=Mississippi Power}}</ref> There is an estimated four billion tons of lignite available to be used.<ref name="sseb.org"/>
If successful, the Kemper Project would have been the second TRIG facility in the United States.<ref name="sseb.org"/> Producing electricity from coal in this way produces tremendous amounts of carbon dioxide, and Mississippi Power hoped that 65 percent of the carbon dioxide would be captured and utilized in Enhanced Oil Recovery at neighboring oil fields.<ref name="sseb.org"/>
===Transport integrated gasification technology=== TRIG was developed by the Department of Energy, Southern Company and KBR at the Power Systems Development Facility in Wilsonville, Alabama.<ref name = "brewer">{{Cite web | last = Brewer | first = Reuben | title = Here's Why SolarCity is a Buy-and-Hold Investment | work = The Motley Fool | access-date = 2014-05-26 | date = 2013-11-22 | url = http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/11/22/heres-why-solarcity-is-a-buy-and-hold-investment.aspx }}</ref>
Southern Company stated that TRIG is a superior coal-gasification method with low impacts to the environment. TRIG technology can utilize lignite, which accounts for more than half of the world's coal reserves and drove global interest in the plant.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://energyfairness.org/2013/09/kemper-plant-drawing-global-interest/ |title=Kemper Plant Drawing Global Interest |access-date=September 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921061649if_/http://energyfairness.org/2013/09/kemper-plant-drawing-global-interest/ |archive-date=September 21, 2013 }}</ref><ref name = "gasificationTRIG">{{Cite web | title = Kemper County energy facility - Gasification & TRIG | work = Mississippi Power | access-date = May 26, 2014 | url = http://www.mississippipower.com/kemper/gasification-and-trig.asp | archive-date = February 9, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140209065527/http://www.mississippipower.com/kemper/gasification-and-trig.asp | url-status = dead }}</ref>
''Power Magazine'' posted an article in April 2013, walking through the technology in technical detail. They say, "Commercial TRIG units can be designed to achieve high environmental standards for {{SO2}}, NO<sub>x</sub>, dust emissions, mercury, and {{CO2}}. Cost analysis based on extensive design has shown that the economic benefits offered by the air-blown transport gasifier relative to other systems are preserved even when {{CO2}} capture and sequestration are incorporated into the design."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.powermag.com/kemper-county-igcc-project-update/|title=Kemper County IGCC Project Update|date=April 1, 2013|publisher=|access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref>
===Clean coal=== If the carbon, capture and sequestration technology used at the Kemper Project had been successful, it would have been the United States’ first clean coal plant.<ref name=Guardian/> The need for this type of technology has come from decades of debate among energy leaders on how to minimize carbon dioxide emissions into the Earth's atmosphere.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Brownell|first1=William|last2=Stone|first2=Scott|title=The Hard Reality for International Climate Agreements in the United States|url=http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/images/publications/20140403ee-IntlClimate.pdf|website=atlanticcouncil.org|publisher=Atlantic Council|access-date=July 14, 2014}}</ref> In 2013, the United States' coal use was 40%, dominating all other energy sources.<ref>{{cite web|title=Coal regains some electric generation market share from natural gas|url=http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=11391|website=eia.gov|publisher=US Energy Information Administration|access-date=July 14, 2014}}</ref> Realizing the demand for coal was not decreasing, Mississippi Power, Southern Company, KBR, and the Department of Energy invested in technology to capture emissions from burning fossil fuels.<ref>{{cite news|title=Southern Company, KBR to help drive global adoption of 21st century coal gasification technology|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/southern-company-kbr-to-help-drive-global-adoption-of-21st-century-coal-gasification-technology-176242741.html|access-date=July 14, 2014|publisher=PR Newswire|date=October 29, 2012}}</ref> The investing bodies argued the type of clean coal technology they claim are found at the Kemper Project will be adopted worldwide; bringing profits back to Mississippi customers.<ref>{{cite web|title=What's Good for the World is Good for Mississippi|url=http://kemperproject.org/kemper-global/|website=kemperproject.org|publisher=NBCC|access-date=July 14, 2014}}</ref>
Environmentalists state that clean coal is not a possibility, as some emissions will still be emitted into the atmosphere.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nijhuis|first1=Michelle|title=Can Coal Ever Be Clean?|url=http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/04/coal/nijhuis-text|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316135510/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/04/coal/nijhuis-text|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 16, 2014|publisher=National Geographic|date=April 2014}}</ref>
===Carbon capture and sequestration=== Carbon capture and sequestration, also referred to as carbon capture and storage (CCS), is a technology that can capture up to 90% of the carbon dioxide ({{CO2}}) emissions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Carbon Dioxide Capture and Sequestration|url=https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/signpost/cc.html|website=United States Environmental Protection Agency|date=August 12, 2013 |publisher=EPA}}</ref> CCS uses a combination of technologies to capture the {{CO2}} released in the combustion process, transport it to a suitable storage location and finally store it (typically deep underground) where it cannot enter the atmosphere and thus contribute to climate change. {{CO2}} sequestration options include saline formations and oil wells, where captured {{CO2}} can be utilized in enhanced oil recovery.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.c2es.org/technology/factsheet/CCS|title=Carbon Capture — Center for Climate and Energy Solutions|date=October 20, 2017|publisher=|access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref>
Due to rising global demand for energy, the consumption of fossil fuels is expected to rise until 2035, leading to greater {{CO2}} emissions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/media/weowebsite/factsheets/factsheets.pdf|title=World Energy Outlook|website=www.worldenergyoutlook.org|access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref>
===Carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery=== Carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery or {{CO2}}-EOR increases the amount of oil recovered from an underground oil reservoir. By pumping {{CO2}} into an oil reservoir, previously unrecoverable oil is pushed up to where the oil can be reached. The US Department of Energy states that this can produce an additional 30 to 60 percent of the original amount of recoverable oil.<ref>{{cite web|title=Enhanced Oil Recovery|url=http://energy.gov/fe/science-innovation/oil-gas-research/enhanced-oil-recovery|website=energy.gov|publisher=DOE}}</ref> Once all of the recoverable oil has been reached, the depleted reservoir can act as a storage site for the {{CO2}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Carbon Capture And Storage And Enhanced Oil Recovery Fact Sheet|url=http://www.midwesterngovernors.org/Publications/CCS_EOR.pdf|website=www.midwesterngovernors.org|publisher=Midwestern Governors Association}}{{Dead link|date=May 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
The Kemper Plant was planned to have 60 miles of pipeline to carry its captured {{CO2}} to neighboring oil reserves for enhanced oil recovery.<ref name = "NETL">{{cite web|title={{CO2}} Capture at the Kemper County IGCC Project|url=http://www.netl.doe.gov/File%20Library/Events/2011/co2capture/25Aug11--Nelson-Kemper-Capture-at-Kemper-IGCC.pdf|website=www.netl.doe.gov|publisher=DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory|access-date=September 24, 2014|archive-date=January 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150123194122/http://www.netl.doe.gov/File%20Library/Events/2011/co2capture/25Aug11--Nelson-Kemper-Capture-at-Kemper-IGCC.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Each year, the plant will capture 3 million tons of {{CO2}}.<ref name = "NETL"/> In March 2014, ''The Guardian'' published that the diverted {{CO2}} will be pumped into two Mississippi companies for use in enhanced oil recovery.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Goldenberg|first1=Suzanne|title=Hopes Pinned on Kemper Power Plant to Make 'Clean Coal'|url=http://www.climatecentral.org/news/hopes-pinned-on-kemper-power-plant-to-make-clean-coal-17180|publisher=Climate Central|date=March 16, 2014}}</ref>
==Research and development== The Department of Energy, the Southern Company, and construction management firm KBR (Kellogg, Brown & Root) joined at the Power Systems Development Facility (PSDF) in Wilsonville, Alabama to develop a process known as Transport Integrated Gasification (TRIG). This development started in 1996, and the gasifier design of Southern Company's Kemper Coal Plant is based on this specific research and development. The technology is most cost-effective when using low-heat content, high moisture, or high-ash content coals, including lignite.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kemper County IGCC Project - Draft Environmental Impact Statement|url=http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/nepapub/nepa_documents/RedDont/EIS-0409-DEIS-01-2009.pdf|publisher=Office of Fossil Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory|access-date=June 3, 2014}}</ref>
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, coal gasification offers one of the most versatile and clean ways to convert coal into electricity, hydrogen, and other valuable energy products. Rather than burning coal directly, gasification (a thermo-chemical process) breaks down coal into its basic chemical constituents.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gasification Technologies R&D|url=http://energy.gov/fe/science-innovation/clean-coal-research/gasification|website=www.energy.gov|publisher=US Department of Energy|access-date=June 3, 2014}}</ref>
The technology of processing coal to gas on a commercial scale has been in development since the 1970s, and it has been in use since the mid-1980s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Practical Experience Gained During the First Twenty Years of Operation of the Great Plains Gasification Plant and Implications for Future Projects|url=http://www.elmiraohio.com/Gasifier%20Docs/dg_knowledge_gained.pdf|publisher=US Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy|access-date=June 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225221953/http://www.elmiraohio.com/Gasifier%20Docs/dg_knowledge_gained.pdf|archive-date=February 25, 2014|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
The TRIG technology, derived from fluidized catalytic cracking units used in the petrochemical industry, uses a pressurized, circulating fluidized bed unit. The transport gasification system features higher efficiencies and is capable of processing low-rank coals, such as lignite.<ref>{{cite web|title=Coal Gasification Technologies|url=http://www.kbr.com/Technologies/Coal-Gasification/|publisher=KBR|access-date=June 3, 2014}}</ref> Additionally, commercial TRIG units can be designed to achieve high environmental standards for sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, dust emissions, mercury, and carbon dioxide. Cost analysis based on the Kemper Coal Plant's design has shown that the economic benefits offered by the air-blown transport gasifier, relative to other systems, are preserved even when carbon dioxide capture and sequestration methodologies are incorporated into the design.<ref name="Kemper County IGCC Project Update">{{cite news|last1=Koneru|first1=Prasad|title=Kemper County IGCC Project Update|url=http://www.powermag.com/kemper-county-igcc-project-update/?pagenum=1|access-date=June 3, 2014|publisher=Power Magazine|date=April 1, 2013}}</ref>
The largest transport gasifier built to date commenced operation in 1996 at Southern Company's PSDF. The gasifier and auxiliary equipment at the site were sized to provide reliable data for confident scale-up to commercial scale. The demonstration unit proved easy to operate and control, achieving more than 15,600 hours of gasification. The demonstration-scale gasifier successfully gasified high-moisture lignite from the Red Hills Mine in Mississippi in four separate test campaigns for more than 2,300 hours of operations. On lignite, the transport gasifier operated smoothly over a range of conditions, confirming the gasifier design for Kemper County.<ref name="Kemper County IGCC Project Update"/>
==Legal issues== In February 2015, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled Mississippi Power must refund 186,000 South Mississippi ratepayers for rate increases related to the Kemper Project.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Chandler|first1=Clay|title=Court strikes down Kemper rate increases, orders refunds|url=http://www.clarionledger.com/story/business/2015/02/12/kemper-coal-rate-increases/23308907/|access-date=July 5, 2016|publisher=Clarion-Ledger|date=February 13, 2015}}</ref> These fees are derived from Mississippi's Baseload Act, allowing Mississippi Power to charge ratepayers for powerplants under construction.
In May 2016, Southern Company and its subsidiary Mississippi Power announced they were being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission related to overruns at the Kemper Project.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Perez|first1=Mary|last2=Hamilton|first2=Paul|title=Update: SEC launches probe of Mississippi Power over Kemper plant|url=http://www.sunherald.com/news/article75923512.html|access-date=July 5, 2016|publisher=Sun Herald|date=May 5, 2016}}</ref> The project had been repeatedly delayed and costs increased from $2.88 billion to $6.7 billion.<ref name="SEC_investigation"/>
In June 2016, Mississippi Power was sued by Treetop Midstream Services over the cancellation of a contract to receive carbon dioxide from the Kemper Project as part of the carbon capture and storage design.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Amy|first1=Jeff|title=Mississippi Power faces suit over Kemper power plant|url=http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2016/07/04/miss-power-faces-suit-kemper-plant/86691932/|access-date=July 5, 2016|newspaper=Clarion-Ledger|date=July 5, 2016}}</ref> Treetop had contracted to buy carbon dioxide from the Kemper plant and had built a pipeline in preparation to receive the gas. Treetop alleged Mississippi Power had fraudulently and "intentionally misrepresenting and concealing the start date" for the Kemper Project, though Mississippi Power stated the suit was without merit.
The company was also found to have unlawfully fired a whistle-blower who had criticized alleged false statements by company management.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Urbina|first1=Ian|title=A Model for 'Clean Coal' Runs Off the Tracks|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/05/science/kemper-coal-mississippi.html|access-date=July 5, 2016|newspaper=New York Times|date=July 5, 2016}}</ref>
==Environmental controversies== Environmental groups argue that the project is an expensive undertaking that offers only limited benefits. In 2011, the Sierra Club and Bridge the Gulf organizations spearheaded the effort to lobby the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deny the required wetland permits, which Mississippi Company would have to fill to build the plant's facilities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bridgethegulfproject.org/node/217|title=Crashing the Kemper Coal Groundbreaking |publisher= Bridge The Gulf Project |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref>
The Mississippi Chapter of the Sierra Club is arguing that the location where the facilities are planned to be built needs to be left alone. They argue that the position of the facilities on a wetland will pollute the environment with tainted water runoff.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Mississippi Issues | work = Sierra Club Mississippi Chapter | access-date = May 26, 2014 | url = https://mississippi.sierraclub.org/issues/kempercountycoal.html | archive-date = December 25, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131225060227/https://mississippi.sierraclub.org/issues/kempercountycoal.html | url-status = dead }}</ref> Also, they believe that the extraction of the lignite will erode the environment and force the relocation of many Mississippians. Mitigation construction activities included the enhancement of 31 acres of wetlands, 105 acres of riparian buffer, and approximately 3,000 linear feet of stream channel.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.eco-systemsinc.com/projects/igcc-power-plant/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130222071511/http://www.eco-systemsinc.com/projects/igcc-power-plant/ |archive-date= 2013-02-22 |publisher=Eco-Systems |title=IGCC Power Plant and Linear Facilities }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://allenes.com/electrical-power-generating-facility-assessments-permitting-mitigation-restoration-stormwater-management-and-monitoring-of-macroinvertebrates-fish-streams-and-wetlands/|publisher=Allen Engineering & Science| title= Electrical Power Generating Facility Assessments, Permitting, Mitigation, Restoration, Stormwater Management, and Monitoring of Macroinvertebrates, Fish, Streams, and Wetlands|access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref> In an agreement with the city of Meridian, the plant is using city wastewater as its only water source.<ref>{{Cite news | last = Smith | first = Terri Ferguson | title = City water flowing at Kemper plant | work = Meridian Star | access-date = May 26, 2014 | date = October 25, 2012 | url = http://www.meridianstar.com/local/x1400198490/City-water-flowing-at-Kemper-plant }}</ref> Additionally, the Kemper Project site is a "zero" liquid discharge facility. Therefore, no processed water from the plant is discharged into rivers, creeks or streams.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mississippipower.com/kemper/environmental-benefits.asp|title=Save Money and Energy|publisher=Mississippi Power - A Southern Company|access-date=June 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701214222/http://www.mississippipower.com/kemper/environmental-benefits.asp|archive-date=July 1, 2014|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
==Political controversies== Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has praised the planned project's potential of placing Mississippi in national prominence, mostly because it would be the first U.S. commercial-scale power plant to capture carbon.<ref name = "McCullough">{{Cite news | last = McCullough | first = Amy | title = Barbour's Kemper connection: Vote on proposed clean coal plant to come down this week | work = Mississippi Business Journal | access-date = May 26, 2014 | date = April 25, 2010 | url = http://msbusiness.com/blog/2010/04/25/barbour%e2%80%99s-kemper-connection/ | archive-date = March 7, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140307010816/http://msbusiness.com/blog/2010/04/25/barbour%e2%80%99s-kemper-connection/ | url-status = dead }}</ref> Additionally, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich expressed his support for the Kemper Project, stating that in his opinion it had the potential to be the single most important experiment in developing electricity in the world today. Gingrich's closing words of encouragement for the Kemper Project and the state of Mississippi: "You have a chance to be a remarkable leader in the country in the next 10 to 20 years."<ref>{{Cite web | last = Ward | first = Chip | title = Newt Gingrich Supports Kemper Coal Plant at Governor's Energy SummitNews Mississippi | work = Newsms | access-date = May 26, 2014 | date = December 6, 2013 | url = http://www.newsms.fm/newt-gingrich-supports-kemper-coal-plant-energy-summit/ | archive-date = March 6, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140306223536/http://www.newsms.fm/newt-gingrich-supports-kemper-coal-plant-energy-summit/ | url-status = dead }}</ref>
The Kemper Project received an estimated $270 million in Department of Energy funds after the Southern Company's plan for the proposed Orlando Gasification Project bunked when Florida decided the state was not interested in more coal plants.<ref name = "McCullough" /> These transferred funds were moved from Florida to Mississippi in December 2008, after Haley Barbour's Washington D.C. lobbying firm, the BGR Group, pushed for the reallocation.<ref name = "McCullough" /> Southern Company has been a BGR client since 1999, having spent a total of $2.6 million with the firm, according to federal lobbying disclosure documents.<ref name = "McCullough" /> Southern Company alleges that Governor Barbour did not help them receive any additional funding at all.<ref name = "McCullough" /> The BGR Group website has deleted all connections with Southern Company from its website.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msbusiness.com/blog/2010/05/bgr-website-has-changed-since-mbj-barbourkemper-story/|title=BGR website has changed since MBJ Barbour/Kemper story was published|newspaper=Mississippi Business Journal|date=May 4, 2010|publisher=|access-date=June 18, 2018|archive-date=May 21, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100521011450/http://msbusiness.com/blog/2010/05/bgr-website-has-changed-since-mbj-barbourkemper-story/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Mississippi state law was changed to permit charging ratepayers for construction of the facility.<ref name="NYT6516">{{cite news|author1=Ian Urbina|title=A Model for 'Clean Coal' Runs Off the Tracks|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/05/science/kemper-coal-mississippi.html|access-date=July 5, 2016|work=The New York Times|date=July 5, 2016|quote=As governor, Mr. Barbour then signed the Baseload Act, which shifted much of the cost and risk of building power plants from investors to consumers, and allowed utilities such as Mississippi Power to charge ratepayers for projects before they were completed.}}</ref> In 2017 the Mississippi Public Service Commission recommended the facility burn natural gas rather than syngas from coal to avoid the risk of further consumer rate increases.<ref name='ars_nat_gas_2017'/>
The plant missed all its targets and plans for "clean coal" generation were abandoned in July 2017. The plant is expected to go ahead burning natural gas only.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2017/12/01/final-settlement-reached-on-plant-kemper.html|title=Mississippi Power reaches agreement on canceled Plant Kemper - Atlanta Business Chronicle|last=Williams|first=Dave|date=December 1, 2017|work=American City Business Journals|access-date=March 2, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/02/clean-coal-america-kemper-power-plant|title=How America's clean coal dream unravelled|date=March 2, 2018|work=TheGuardian.com|access-date=March 2, 2018}}</ref>
== See also == * Petra Nova, a CCS project for the WA Parish Generating Station in Texas
== References == {{Reflist|30em}} <!--- After listing your sources please cite them using inline citations and place them after the information they cite. Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:REFB for instructions on how to add citations. --->
Category:Carbon capture and storage Category:Buildings and structures in Kemper County, Mississippi Category:Natural gas-fired power stations in Mississippi Category:Coal-fired power stations in Mississippi Category:Former coal gas-fired power stations Category:Former coal-fired power stations in the United States Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 2014 Category:Southern Company