NRG wins Energy Department grant

NRG Energy will get $154 million from the Energy Department for a carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) project, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced Tuesday. NRG will match the amount of investment.

The project will demonstrate technology to reduce greenhouse gases and assist in oil recovery efforts in a nearby oil field. With carbon capture and storage, carbon dioxide is captured from a power plant and directed and stored underground to prevent its release into the atmosphere.

NRG’s award is part of the Clean Coal Power Initiative, which is funded with both federal and private sector money.

Under the agreement, NRG will construct a 60 megawatt carbon capture demonstration facility at a plant in Thompsons, Texas.