Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the National Carbon Capture Center is a cornerstone of innovation in advanced fossil energy research and development. Since its creation by DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy in 2009, the center has established itself as a world-class, neutral test facility, working to accelerate the development and commercialization of next-generation technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-based power plants.
Managed and operated by Southern Company, the National Carbon Capture Center works with third-party technology developers – including over 30 government, industry, university and research organizations from seven countries – to bridge the gap between laboratory research and large-scale demonstrations. The center – which is located in Wilsonville, Alabama, adjacent to Southern Company subsidiary Alabama Power’s Plant Gaston – offers a pathway to move novel technologies out of the laboratory and demonstrate them in the real-world conditions of a power plant.
The National Carbon Capture Center also provides worldwide leadership to promote the level of readiness for carbon capture technologies. The center co-founded and chairs the International Test Center Network, a global coalition of facilities focused on accelerating the research, development and commercial deployment of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies. Under the guidance of the National Carbon Capture Center, worldwide CCUS testing collaboration and knowledge sharing is ongoing in Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, the United Arab Emirates and the U.S.
100,000 Hours of Testing
With its unique and highly skilled team, the National Carbon Center recently surpassed 100,000 hours of technology testing. This included testing of approximately 60 developer projects, which resulted in the reduction of carbon capture costs by one-third since 2011. In December, the center was recognized during Peabody’s Global Clean Coal Leadership Awards as Carbon Capture and Storage Pioneer.
Learn more about why the National Carbon Capture Center is unique and the advantages it offers innovative technology developers here.