Wyoming Integrated Test CenterFostering new-generation technology for today’s energy resources

摘要

The Wyoming Integrated Test Center (ITC) is a research test facility located on the site of Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s Dry Fork Station () near Gillette, Wyoming, USA. The ITC provides space for researchers to test Carbon Capture, Utilization and Sequestration (CCUS) technologies using actual coal-based flue gas. The ITC is one of only a handful of facilities around the world that enables researchers to test their technologies at an operating power plant. 2 History In 2014, the Wyoming State Legislature allocated $15 million in funding for the design, construction and operation of an integrated test center to study the capture, sequestration and management of carbon emissions from a Wyoming coal-fired power plant. An additional $5 million commitment from private industry was required under the appropriation, which was secured from the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (). The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association () also provided a $1 million contribution. In October 2015, Basin Electric’s Dry Fork Station was announced as the official site of the ITC. The Dry Fork Station is a state-of-the-art coal-fired power plant operated by Basin Electric Cooperative, Powder River Energy’s wholesale power provider. Basin Electric is providing the host site as well as many additional in-kind contributions including engineering and construction management services. The ITC was officially dedicated in May of 2018. The official dedication of the Wyoming ITC in May 2018. From left to right, starting front and center, former Wyoming Governor Matt Mead, Chief Executive Officer of Basin Electric Power Cooperative Paul Sukut, Senior Vice-President of Business and Technology Strategies for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Jim Spiers, XPRIZE Board of Trustees Member Lee Stein, Senior Director of the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE Marcius Extavour, Chairman of the Board for Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association Rick Gordon, Director of the Ministry of The Environment Government of Japan—Climate Change Projects Office, Climate Change Policy Division, Global Environment Bureau Yoshihiro Mizutani and President of the Japan Coal Energy Center Osamu Tsukamoto. The official dedication of the Wyoming ITC in May 2018. From left to right, starting front and center, former Wyoming Governor Matt Mead, Chief Executive Officer of Basin Electric Power Cooperative Paul Sukut, Senior Vice-President of Business and Technology Strategies for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Jim Spiers, XPRIZE Board of Trustees Member Lee Stein, Senior Director of the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE Marcius Extavour, Chairman of the Board for Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association Rick Gordon, Director of the Ministry of The Environment Government of Japan—Climate Change Projects Office, Climate Change Policy Division, Global Environment Bureau Yoshihiro Mizutani and President of the Japan Coal Energy Center Osamu Tsukamoto. 3 How it works The ITC provides space for researchers to test CCUS technologies using 20 MW of actual coal-based flue gas. Along with testing capture technologies, additional research will look at converting carbon dioxide into marketable commodities. The research at the ITC will lead to new opportunities in petrochemicals as well as other commercial uses of carbon emissions. Research at the facility will also help ensure the viability of the coal industry, which supports jobs and local and state economies, and keeps electricity prices low for millions of people around the globe. The ITC is one of a handful of such facilities around the world and only the second one in the United States. While many carbon-capture technologies are being developed and studied in laboratory settings, the ITC is one of the few research and testing facilities at an operating coal-fired powered plant. Laboratories cannot mimic the real-world conditions of a functioning coal-fired power plant.