NRG testing biomass at Louisiana plant
NEW ROADS, LOUISIANA - Power generator NRG Energy Inc. said that it is testing whether switchgrass and high-biomass sorghum could be used to replace some of the coal used at the company's Big Cajun II power plant in Louisiana.
NRG said the project could lead to commercial-scale projects using biomass fuels to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from other coal-fired plants.
NRG is planting 20 acres of switchgrass and sorghum at the plant site using seed and growing techniques provided by Ceres, a developer and marketer of high-yield energy grasses. The switchgrass and sorghum were chosen for use specifically in Louisiana's soil and climate, and will be managed by a local grower.
The next phase, expected to be done next year, will use the biomass as a partial fuel for electric generation.
NRG shares fell 19 cents to $28.38 in recent trading. The shares have traded between $14.39 and $29.26 over the past year.
Princeton, N.J.-based NRG has generation capacity of 24,000 megawatts, enough to supply more than 20 million homes. Its retail business, Reliant Energy, serves more than 1.6 million customers in Texas.
Related News

Disrupting Electricity? This Startup Is Digitizing Our Very Analog Electrical System
NEW YORK - Electricity is a paradox. On the one hand, it powers our most modern clean cars and miracles of computing like your phone and laptop. On the other hand, it’s one of the least updated and most ready-for-disruption parts of our homes, offices, and factories.
A startup in Silicon Valley plans to change all that, and has just signed deals with leading global electronics manufacturers to make it happen.
“The end point of the electrification infrastructure of every building out there right now is based on old technology,” Thar Casey, CEO of Amber Solutions, told me recently on…