SSEB Awarded $3.5 Million Project to Accelerate Clean Coal and Carbon Management Technologies

The Southern States Energy Board was awarded a five-year, $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy to support and enhance the agency’s mission of helping the United States meet its need for secure, affordable, and environmentally sound fossil energy supplies.

The grant continues the work of the Board’s Committee on Clean Coal Energy Policies and Technologies by convening the region’s governors and legislative leaders within the SSEB region, state agencies, universities, utilities, regulatory bodies, the private sector, and nonprofit organizations to foster and facilitate communication, education, and outreach on fossil energy-related topics.

The committee analyzes issues impacting the domestic and international commercial deployment of advanced power generation, power plant efficiency, water management, and carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies by expanding the value chain for coal and coal by-products with an emphasis on public policy.

SSEB also initiated a new collaborative effort with the University of Houston’s Center for Carbon Management in Energy (CCME) to create a public-private consortium of experts to promote the rapid and transformative deployment of CCUS technologies.

The SSEB and CCME effort focuses beyond the research and development phase of technology development and centers on the commercial deployment needs of industry.

“The Office of Fossil Energy is glad to continue our partnership with the Southern States Energy Board,” said Steven Winberg, Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). “We applaud SSEB’s association with the University of Houston to focus on commercial deployment of CCUS projects. The American taxpayer has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in R&D; the time has come for CCUS to be deployed by private industry.”

“The initiative brings together the findings and lessons learned from SSEB’s leadership of the Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership program, the Regional Initiatives for CCUS, and a dedicated support team co-located in Houston that is fundamental for commercialization acceleration,” said Kenneth J. Nemeth, SSEB’s Secretary and Executive Director. “SSEB and CCME will work with industry to address a full range of early technology deployment risks through this public-private partnership,” he said.

“The advancement of CCUS technologies and the structure of projects within DOE’s Carbon Management Program portfolio have provided great foundational work at early and late stages of development in CO₂ capture, utilization systems, and geologic storage,” said Charles McConnell, Executive Director of the University of Houston’s CCME. “Pilots and demonstrations in several of the key partnerships have led to early-stage commercial deployments, but this is a recognition that greater emphasis and alignment with industry on commercialization challenges and opportunities is required to accelerate the broad deployment of CCUS in the marketplace,” he said.

Through the SSEB and CCME partnership, there will be an increased emphasis in stakeholder engagement and workforce development focused on public, industry, and university education, as well as outreach opportunities directly supporting commercial CCUS deployment.

“Access to reliable clean coal technology supports economic development and job growth,” Winberg said. “There is a bright future for 21st century coal.”