Tiny Somerset set for large coal gasification push
By Beth Daley, Globe Staff
Tiny Somerset in Southeastern Massachusetts is shaping up to be the Northeast’s coal gasification headquarters.
A $25 million demonstration project that converts coal to clean-burning natural gas is scheduled to be built at the large Brayton Point power station.
 Somerset Power Plant (NRG Energy Inc.) |
But it is a second proposal at a smaller coal-fired power plant in the community that is raising residents’ ire. Last week, that plant moved another step closer to gasification after a state environmental judge moved to dismiss an appeal by 12 Somerset area citizens challenging the state’s decision to allow it.
Coal gasification uses extraordinarily high heat to covert coal to synthetic gas and has been touted by some as a solution to the country’s energy woes. The process can capture pollutants that make coal burning so dirty, including carbon dioxide, the key culprit in global warming. The idea is to pump the CO2 underground where it can remain sequestered for hundreds of years.
But that is only an idea. Only two commercial coal gasification plants have been built in the country – and neither sequesters carbon dioxide. If sequestration is going to work, scientists say, it is likely going to work in places that have lots of underground geological pores to put it. Think Wyoming. Not Massachusetts.
That’s why the Somerset residents, represented by the Conservation Law Foundation, are so angry. They say there is no known way to sequester the gas at Somerset, meaning that carbon dioxide will continue to spew from the plant for decades to come.
The power plant has been the subject of controversy in large part because the plant's owners have changed course since the former owners said in 2003 that they intended to shut down the facility in 2010 or switch to a far cleaner fuel to meet tough new air quality rules in Massachusetts.
New owners NRG Energy Inc. said their gasification technology is cleaner because it reduces pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and pledged to research possible sequestration of the gas.
This fall, the plant received preliminary approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection for its proposal, which would make it the first coal plant in the world to use the plasma process. The Conservation Law Foundation, supported by other environmental groups, petitioned for a more extensive environmental review, saying the carbon dioxide emissions constituted harm to the environment and that was enough to trigger a stricter review.
But the state turned down that request, saying the plant was not going to harm the environment in any additional way and in fact would be reducing some pollutants.
The judge’s decision last week was based on an appeal of that decision. The state Department of Environmental Protection has 30 days to issue a final determination based on the judge’s recommendation. Now the citizens say they will take the issue to the state Superior Court.
"Coal is dirty and bad for our health and this community. We are going to continue to fight this and will not rest until Somerset Station is held accountable and cleans up -- for real -- or closes down," said Pauline Rodrigues, a Somerset resident opposed to the project.
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Does anyone else remember when the old Cambridge Gas Co. used to do this next to the canal in East Cambridge? There used to be large piles of coal where 1 and 101 Main St. are located. The old gas works was across the canal. As memory serves me, there was a restaurant named "The Gas Works" also.
Wonder why they stopped doing it.
We all want GREEN! We all want to end our dependence on foreign oil. The 12 families at Somerset objecting to this gasification effort should wake up. They should read and study about the process instead of just deciding it's another mess someone is going to get us into. This process works. I've seen it in action in several plants in Japan. In fact, they have been in operation for nearly10 years. These plants are being built all over the world. Do they polute? Yes, but to what degree? The plants I've seen in operation have emissions only at a rate of appx 10% of what the EPA would allow. This is much lower than normal gasification systems. The beauty of this system is it can be retrofitted to an existing gasification plant for pennies on the dollar as compared to building a new plant. Not a bad deal by anyone's standards. These people need to realize that being an environmentalist doesn't mean you just reject every new technology or idea that comes along. By the way, I'm not associated with the owners of the plant.
Mr Sites, These several plants you refer to in Japan...surely they have dealt with the issues of the CO2 underground storage where as this facility at Somerset Station has not. And when "you say the beauty of this system is it can be retrofitted to an existing gasification plant for pennies on the dollar as compared to building a new plant. Not a bad deal by anyone's standards." I say not a bad deal for whom? It would seem to be a cheeper fix for the ownder of the plant but these people, as you call them, the residents of Somerset would be sharing the burden of the other costs of changes to their envionrment. The technology may be a wonderful idea but the owners of the plant need to fully plan and disclose how they will store and dispose of this CO2 otherwise they are only trading one type of pollution for another
I am writing this from northern west virginia, i live within 50 miles of probably 10 of the largest coal fired power plants in the country, I don't know what the answer is but for right now the answer to americas independence of foreign oil is coal. IN 1980 there were 2 SRC plants being built in West Virginia which would make coal into gasoline both were scraped because a barrel of oil dropped to 15 dollars per barrel. There are studies that show you could replace all 1000 or so coal fired power plants with nuclear and it would do nothing to change the so called climate change, your answer is here i worked thirty years in the mines, By the way all the power plants in our region are being fitted with scrubbers to allow no so2 in the air
why don.t you find out the truth about coal, you may be suprised
The truth about coal? Coal kills. Even if we're able to capture all of the emissions, even if it doesn't matter how much CO2 we spew into the atmosphere, you have to look at the full life cycle of Coal. Over 474 mountains have been completely destroyed to get the underlying coal. Communities are being poisoned by heavy-metal laden water. The people of Southern Appalachia are being sacrificed for cheap coal.
Why don't YOU find out the truth about coal. Take a trip over to Kayford Mountain and visit Larry Gibson. He will let you know what's up.
I do not know Cambridge Gas, but a number of companies made coal gas a long time ago. At one time, the street lights in Brooklyn, NY were powered by coal gas produced by Brooklyn Union Gas. Although it is probably not the reason they stopped production, when coal is gasified, what is left is a hazardous material, called "coal tar". Places where coal tar was disposed of eventually were listed as hazardous waste sites, requiring remediation. It has been a while since I worked in the area, but last I heard, there was no feasible technology availble to treat coal tar, although some uses for it were being looked at. hope that helps.
Strange. 60 years ago a gas works existed in Asheville, N.C. and ran during my childhood. The piles of coal around the plant became gas. Don't know where it went from there or why production stopped. But, the statement that only two plants have been built in the United States is not correct.
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
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