Coal is the workhorse of the electric power industry, the fuel that accounts
for about 50 percent of the nation's electricity generation. We're working
harder to make coal work better through research and testing of carbon
capture and storage, or CCS. With CCS, carbon dioxide would be
"captured" during the generation process and either permanently stored
underground or re-used in other industrial applications.

National Carbon Capture Center

Southern Company manages and operates the U.S. Department of Energy's
National Carbon Capture Center, a focal point of national efforts to develop
advanced technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coal-based
power generation. The center, located in Alabama, works with scientists and technology
developers from government, industry and universities who are creating the next generation of carbon capture technologies.

How CO2 is removed

Solvents can selectively find and capture carbon dioxide in flue gas or pre-gassified coal. During a pilot at Plant Yates in Georgia, a small amount of carbon dioxide was captured using this method that absorbs CO2, and then returned to the plant's flue gas. Plant Barry in Alabama is demonstrating this technology to capture and store 150,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually. News Release.

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Injecting carbon dioxide into the ground

Carbon dioxide is already being injected throughout the United States into underground geologic formations to drive out desirable fuels, like oil and gas. It can also be injected into pore space found in underground rocks. Learn more about our Black Warrior Basin project testing this technology today.

Lower demand lowers carbon dioxide emissions

EarthCents energy efficiency programs help our customers save energy and money while reducing greenhouse gases. From 1990-2009, Southern Company programs have reduced peak demand for electricity by 3,424 megawatts. That's enough energy to power 489,000 homes (assuming 7kW/home average) and 9.8 percent of the peak demand in 2008.

Climate change actions across the Southeast

Follow our actions on carbon dioxide capture and storage across our four-state service territory.

Learn more about Southern Company and carbon capture

Alabama Power's Plant Barry is host site for a major demonstration of carbon capture and sequestration technology.

Southern Company is a participant in a DOE funded research project to study injection of CO2 into an unmineable coal seam.

Mississippi Power is seeking regulatory approval to build a 582-MW coal gasification plant that would have reduced CO2 emissions and include carbon capture and re-use.

Mississippi Power's Plant Daniel hosted a carbon sequestration demonstration in which 3,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide were injected deep underground.

Alabama Power's Plant Gorgas is host to a carbon sequestration site characterization project in partnership with the University of Alabama.