State regulators OK synthetic natural gas plant
By TOM FOWLER
March 4, 2009, 5:50PM
State environmental regulators have granted an air permit to a Freeport project that will turn a refining byproduct into natural gas while capturing carbon dioxide created by the process.
Hunton Energy of Houston says the plant will take pet coke, a common refinery waste product, and turn it into a synthetic form of natural gas that can be used by a chemical plant to create other products. Dow Chemical in Freeport has said it is interested in buying the gas.
The steam generated by the process will be used to run an electric turbine capable of creating up to 400 megawatts, which Dow could also purchase, while the 8 million tons of carbon dioxide created by the plant each year will be sold for injection into older oil fields to help improve production.
The project previously had financial backing by a unit of Goldman Sachs but that deal has been called off. Hunton President Rocky Sembritzky said the company is in the process of raising funds overseas.
tom.fowler@chron.com
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