BP America, Edison Withdraw Proposal To Build $1 Billion Coal Power Station In California

Published: 18-May-2009

By: Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer

BP America Inc. (BP America) and Edison International (Edison) have withdrawn their proposal to build a $1 billion clean coal power station in Carson, California. The power plant project would have been used as an early test of carbon capture technology, wherein emissions of carbon dioxide are stored underground permanently. However, BP America and Edison stated that the project was opposed by local geologists and environmentalists.

The project resulted in a disagreement between environmental groups that felt that the carbon-capture technology would cause danger to nearby communities and other groups that believed that the technology would help reduce climate changes.

Jesse Marquez of the Wilmington Coalition for a Safe Environment explained to the Breeze “The mainstream environmental groups are supporting it, while us, the environmental justice organizations are opposing it. There's a breaking in the ranks there.”

BP America and Edison collaborated for development of the project, which would have been based adjacent to the BP Carson refinery. Electricity would have been produced at the plant using leftover petroleum coke. Occidental Petroleum would purchase the resulting carbon dioxide, which would be pumped into the ground to enhance oil recovery.

Occidental Petroleum’s spokeswoman, Susie Geiger, stated that the firm’s geologists decided that the Wilmington Field was not suitable for a flood of carbon dioxide.

The Breeze stated that since then, BP America and Edison have declared plans to establish a similar project in Kern County that would produce nearly 50% of the electricity as the original plan for Carson.

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