Calpine hosts community open house with the Department of Energy showcasing Baytown CCS project
Calpine hosted an open house with the Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) on Tuesday, October 15, to provide additional information on its Baytown CCS project and answer questions from the community. The Houston CCS Alliance also participated to highlight the safety, environmental, and economic benefits that come with the technology.
The event brought together community members, local business leaders, and Calpine employees from across the company’s operations. Additionally, groups like Pipeline Hazardous Materials and Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set up booths to discuss their role in carbon capture buildout, permitting and regulations. The University of Houston’s Dr. Ramanan Krishnamoorthi was also on hand to provide answers to technical and scientific CCS questions, helping explain why CCS is a safe and trusted way to lower emissions in Baytown and across the Gulf Coast region. Calpine has made community engagement a centerpiece of their project development and is working closely with residents and local leaders to develop a community benefits plans that lifts up neighborhoods and supports vital programming.
In July, the DOE awarded Calpine $12.5 million to begin Phase 1 activities and buildout at its Baytown Energy Center. The project is slated to be the first full-scale implementation of CCS technology at a natural gas combined cycle power plant in the US and is designed to capture at least 95% of industrial CO2 emissions. The funding is part of a larger award of up to $270 million for the project.
In addition to providing educational materials on CCS technology and the Alliance’s mission, we enjoyed talking to residents about the many benefits CCS technology will bring with it.
Thank you to Calpine and the DOE for hosting this event for the community. We look forward to continuing our efforts in the Baytown area and watching this first-of-its-kind CCS project become a reality.
