As of September 30, 2016, the Carbon Capture and Sequestration Technologies program at MIT has closed. The website is being kept online as a reference but will not be updated.

Kimberlina Fact Sheet: Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage Project

Company/Alliance: Clean Energy Systems, West Coast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (WESTCARB), DOE, Schlumberger and the California Energy Commission

Location: Kimberlina, Kern County, California, USA

Feedstock: Coal (and biomass)

Size: 50 MW: 0.25 Mt/CO2

Capture Technology: Oxy fuel combustion

CO2 Fate: Sequestration in fluvial sandstones beneath the power plant

Timing: Injection testing (2011), Project online (2011-15) Project has been cancelled

Motivation/Economics:

Total project cost is estimate to be $90 million. The DOE has a $65 million share or (72%). Kimberlina received the Phase 3 award from the DOE as part of the 9 US regional partnership development awards.

The CEC approved a $4 million contract for WESTCARB to build upon Phase II (a small test injection is scheduled for later this year) and begin Phase III, a larger test facility (May 2010). The $4 million award by CEC will be matched by funding and in-kind support from CES, America Air Liquide, the Mirant Corp. and the US DOE. Total project costs are estimated at $13 million, which will cover plant re-powering and operations over a two-year demonstration period.

Comments:

Clean Energy Systems has developed a new oxy-combustion technology, similar to that used in rocket engines, and had planned on testing it at Kimberlina. There were 3 successful tests at 20 MW in December 2004. Multiple monitoring and modelling methods will also be used throughout the injection for validation and improvement of these techniques.

The target formation is the Joaquin Basin at 7000 ft (2100 meters) beneath the 50 MW power plant. The Vedder and the Olcese fluvial sandstones are the target formations with a thickness of 500ft and 800ft respectively. Both sandstones are regionally continuous. The injection is estimated to be 0.25 MT/Yr for 4 years.

Project Link: Clean Energy Systems Inc website

Other Sources and Press Releases:
WESTCARB website
Kimberlina Phase 3 fact sheet [PDF]
CEC approves continued funding for WESTCARB (May 2010)
WESTCARB presentation on Kimberlina [PDF] (December 2007)