NRG Energy notified ERCOT Wednesday that it intends to indefinitely mothball its gas-fired Petra Nova Power generating unit, a change from its earlier determination to seasonally sideline the plant.
The move becomes effective June 26. NRG previously told ERCOT in September that Petra Nova would be operated annually on a seasonal basis, June 1 through Sept. 30. (See NRG to Mothball Petra Nova CCS Plant.)
The facility is part of the Petra Nova Project, the world’s largest carbon-capture facility. NRG suspended carbon-capture operations at the site in May, citing the “current status” of oil markets.
The project captured CO2 from the plant’s flue gas and funneled it through an 80-mile pipeline to a nearby oil field. There, the captured CO2 was injected into a depleted oil reservoir, softening up the residual oil and improving its flow.
Petra Nova became uneconomical when oil prices plunged last year as the global economy shut down in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. West Texas Intermediate crude for March delivery settled at $52.85/barrel Wednesday on the New York Mercantile Exchange; $50/barrel is considered the breakeven marker.
The plant has a summer capacity of 71 MW.
ERCOT market participants have until Feb. 17 to file comments on whether the resource is necessary for reliability reasons.
Wind Farm to be Shut Down
ERCOT has also received a notification of suspension of operations for the 120-MW Sherbino 1 Wind Farm in West Texas. The facility ceased operations because of a forced outage and will be decommissioned and retired permanently on Feb. 1, the grid operator said.
Constructed in 2008, Sherbino 1 was a joint venture between NRG and BP Wind Energy North America. Castleton Commodities International acquired the wind farm in 2019.
