Legislature(2023 - 2024)BARNES 124
03/05/2024 10:15 AM House ENERGY
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation(s): Cook Inlet Region Low Carbon Power Generation with Carbon Capture, Transport, and Storage Feasibility Study | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 368 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON ENERGY
March 5, 2024
10:16 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative George Rauscher, Chair
Representative Tom McKay
Representative Stanley Wright
Representative Mike Prax
Representative Jennie Armstrong
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Thomas Baker
Representative Calvin Schrage
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION(S): Cook Inlet Region Low Carbon Power Generation
with Carbon Capture, Transport, and Storage Feasibility Study
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous committee action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
FRANK PASKVAN, Affiliate Professor
Institute of Northern Engineering
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave the presentation, titled "Cook Inlet
Region Low Carbon Power Generation with Carbon Capture,
Transport, and Storage Feasibility Study."
ACTION NARRATIVE
10:16:07 AM
CHAIR RAUSCHER called the House Special Committee on Energy
meeting to order at 10:16 a.m. Representatives Rauscher, McKay,
Prax, Wright, and Armstrong were present at the call to order.
^PRESENTATION(S): Cook Inlet Region Low Carbon Power Generation
with Carbon Capture, Transport, and Storage Feasibility Study
PRESENTATION(S): Cook Inlet Region Low Carbon Power Generation
with Carbon Capture, Transport, and Storage Feasibility Study
10:17:43 AM
CHAIR RAUSCHER announced that the only order of business would
be a presentation, titled "Cook Inlet Region Low Carbon Power
Generation with Carbon Capture, Transport, and Storage
Feasibility Study."
10:19:04 AM
FRANK PASKVAN, Associate Professor, Institute of Northern
Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks, gave the
presentation, titled "Cook Inlet Region Low Carbon Power
Generation with Carbon Capture, Transport, and Storage
Feasibility Study." He began on slide 2, which gave context as
to what the Carbon Capture Use and Storage (CCUS) project at the
University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) is and its history.
10:26:17 AM
MR. PASKVAN continued to slide 3, which displayed a graphic that
showed how carbon capture and storage (CCS) is performed and
detailed how the carbon dioxide would be transported to a place
and stored. He moved to slide 4, which displayed a graph that
outlined sources of energy along with their associated carbon
emissions and explained how CCUS addresses both the increasing
energy needs of a growing world and the problems of climate
change simultaneously.
10:33:01 AM
MR. PASKVAN responded to questions from Chair Rauscher. He said
the difference between an older natural gas plant and a newer
one, in the same category of energy and emissions, would be the
efficiency. As to whether the combined use of wind and natural
gas for energy generation was equivalent in carbon emissions to
other carbon-based energy sources, he said that it would depend
on how often there is wind energy blowing at a certain plant.
In response to Representative McKay as to whether NOx2 and SOx2
proteins could be removed from emissions caused by a natural gas
treatment plant, he explained that proposed natural gas pipeline
would primarily emit methane and clarified how a natural gas
treatment plant functions.
10:40:24 AM
MR. PASKVAN resumed the presentation on slide 5, which displayed
a graph that compared different types of fuels along with their
associated cost and detailed the associated carbon emissions
with each type of fuel. In response to Chair Rauscher, he used
decomposition as an example of how net-negative carbon emissions
could be achieved. In response to Representative Prax, he said
is has heard of but is unfamiliar with compressed wood pellet
fuel, and he confirmed that biomass eventually turns into coal.
10:49:43 AM
MR. PASKVAN resumed the presentation on slide 6, which displayed
a graph that outlined the cost of carbon capture against current
natural gas prices and clean energy tax credits. It had text
that further compared the cost of carbon capture to the price of
fuel itself. In response to Chair Rauscher, he deferred to the
federal government as the best source to answer a question about
how much money the State of Alaska lost as a result of the "45q
tax credit." He then resumed the presentation on slide 7, which
highlighted the findings of the CCUS technical and economic
feasibility study completed by UAF. He continued to slide 8,
which further elaborated on the results of the aforementioned
CCUS study and compared the costs of electricity with and
without CCUS per Megawatt Hour (MWh).
11:11:18 AM
MR. PASKVAN, in response to a question from Representative McKay
as to whether the CCUS industry could survive without the 45q
tax credits from the federal government, replied that the cost
of carbon capture is $65 dollar per ton and explained how that
cost estimate roughly equates to the cost of a new gas plant.
REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY shared his belief that climate change is a
hoax and said that there is nothing that humans can do even if
they understood that there was a climate crisis. He spoke up in
strong support of coal-fired power plants, gas power plants, and
a liquified natural gas (LNG) pipeline to the Southcentral
Region of Alaska.
11:18:42 AM
MR. PASKVAN, in response to Chair Prax, confirmed that the
capital cost of the different options for energy generation is
included in the presentation and emphasized that the numbers are
all estimate figures. He then resumed the presentation on slide
8, where he further elaborated on the cost differences between
certain sources of energy generation. He moved to slide 9,
which displayed a map of proposed low-carbon biomass coal power
projects and explained the logistics of each individual proposed
project location.
11:28:06 AM
MR. PASKVAN concluded the presentation on slide 10, which
outlined a series of recommended actions that the Alaska State
Legislature could take to bring the proposed low-carbon biomass
coal power plants to life in Alaska. He thanked the committee
for its time and offered to answer questions.
11:34:46 AM
CHAIR RAUSCHER asked if private investors are interested in
developing the low-carbon biomass coal power plants in Alaska.
MR. PASKVAN said that there is great general interest in
developing clean energy all over the country right now.
11:35:18 AM
CHAIR RAUSCHER thanked Mr. Paskvan for his presentation and
delivered committee announcements.
11:36:40 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Energy meeting was adjourned at 11:36 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Cook Inlet Low Carbon Power Feasibility Study-UAF-PCOR.FINAL.pdf |
HENE 3/5/2024 10:15:00 AM |
CCUS |
| House Energy 3.5.24 Presentation.pdf |
HENE 3/5/2024 10:15:00 AM |
CCUS |