Sec. 4. Carbon capture technologies
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Section 962 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 ( 42 U.S.C. 16292 ) is amended to read as follows: The Secretary shall conduct a program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of carbon capture technologies, which shall include facilitation of the development and use of— carbon capture technologies for coal and natural gas; innovations to significantly decrease emissions at existing power plants; and advanced separation technologies. As a part of the program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall maintain robust investments in carbon capture technologies for coal and natural gas applications.
In carrying out this section, the Secretary is encouraged to support pilot projects that test carbon capture technologies on coal and natural gas power and industrial systems below the 100 megawatt scale, consistent with section 988(b). In carrying out the program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall establish cost and performance goals to assist in the transition of carbon capture research to commercially viable technologies. As a part of the program under subsection (a), not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of the Fossil Energy Research and Development Act of 2019 , the Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities for the operation of not less than three Carbon Capture Test Centers (in this subsection, known as the Centers ) to provide unique testing capabilities for innovative carbon capture technologies for power and industrial systems.
Each Center shall— advance research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of carbon capture technologies for power and industrial systems; and test technologies that represent the scale of technology development beyond laboratory testing, but not yet advanced to testing under operational conditions at commercial scale. An entity seeking to operate a Center under this subsection shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may require.
In selecting applications to operate a Center under this subsection, the Secretary shall prioritize applicants that— have access to existing or planned research facilities with modular technology capabilities; are institutions of higher education with established expertise in engineering and design for carbon capture technologies, or partnerships with such institutions; have access to existing research and test facilities for pre-combustion, post-combustion, or oxy-combustion technologies; or have test capabilities to address scaling challenges of integrating carbon capture technologies with utility scale power plants.
In awarding grants for the operation of the Centers under this subsection, the Secretary shall ensure that— the portfolio of Centers includes a diverse representation of regional and resource characteristics; and each new Center demonstrates unique research capabilities, unique regional benefits, or new technology development opportunities. Each grant to operate a Center under this subsection shall be awarded for a term of not more than 5 years, subject to the availability of appropriations.
The Secretary may renew such 5-year term without limit, subject to a rigorous merit review. To the extent otherwise authorized by law, the Secretary may eliminate a Center during any 5-year term described in paragraph
(6)if such Center is underperforming. As a part of the program under subsection (a), the Secretary may provide grants for large-scale demonstration projects for power and industrial systems that test the scale of technology necessary to gain the operational data needed to understand the technical and performance risks of the technology before the application of the technology at commercial scale, in accordance with this subsection. The Secretary is authorized to fund front-end engineering and design studies in addition to, or in advance of, issuing an award for a demonstration project under this subsection. An entity seeking an award to conduct a demonstration project under this subsection shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may require. The Secretary shall only provide an award under this subsection after reviewing each applicant and application regarding— financial strength; construction schedule; market risk; and contractor history. A demonstration project funded under this subsection shall— utilize technologies that have completed pilot-scale testing or the equivalent, as determined by the Secretary; secure and maintain agreements for the utilization or sequestration of captured carbon dioxide; and upon completion, demonstrate carbon capture technologies on a power or industrial system capable of capturing not less than 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually. In this section, the term power system means any electricity generating unit that utilizes fossil fuels to generate electricity provided to the electric grid or directly to a consumer. Of the amounts made available under section 961, there are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for activities under this section— $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2020; $315,000,000 for fiscal year 2021; $330,750,000 for fiscal year 2022; $347,288,000 for fiscal year 2023; and $364,652,000 for fiscal year 2024. . Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report on the results of a study of the Department’s successes, failures, practices, and improvements in carrying out demonstration projects for carbon capture technologies for power and industrial systems. In conducting the study, the Comptroller General shall consider— applicant and contractor qualifications; project management practices at the Department; economic or market changes and other factors impacting project viability; completion of third-party agreements, including power purchase agreements and carbon dioxide offtake agreements; regulatory challenges; and construction challenges. The Secretary shall consider any relevant recommendations, as determined by the Secretary, provided in the report required under paragraph (1), and shall adopt such recommendations as the Secretary considers appropriate. In this section, the term power system means any electricity generating unit that utilizes fossil fuels to generate electricity provided to the electric grid or directly to a consumer.
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Sec. 4
Carbon capture technologies
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