Wyoming’s top energy development agency has recommended Gov. Mark Gordon allocate $7.8 million from the state’s Energy Matching Funds program to Rocky Mountain Power and its partner 8 Rivers for carbon capture projects.
These projects aim to assess the feasibility of retrofitting coal plants with carbon capture technology to meet a state mandate, supported by Gov.
Gordon but criticized by environmental groups. An additional $4.7 million is recommended for HF Sinclair to upgrade its gasoline-production unit.
Rocky Mountain Power’s Jim Bridger Plant and its partnership with 8 Rivers focus on reducing carbon emissions by 90% or more through engineering studies.
Critics, including the Sierra Club Wyoming Chapter, argue that taxpayer funds should instead be directed toward proven clean energy solutions.
Carbon capture technology, while potentially extending the life of coal plants, has raised concerns about its high cost and technical feasibility. Preliminary estimates suggest retrofitting coal plants could cost between $500 million and over $1 billion per unit, with those expenses likely passed on to Wyoming ratepayers.
Wyoming remains the only state mandating utilities to install carbon capture technology on coal plants or sell them to third parties willing to implement it. Despite this, there is no certainty that the technology will be applied, and customers are already facing surcharges to fund ongoing feasibility studies.
Conservation groups and the state’s Office of Consumer Advocate have voiced opposition, citing the lack of guarantees and the economic burden on ratepayers.
The carbon capture mandate’s compliance deadline was recently extended to 2033, and uncovered costs of feasibility studies and potential retrofits will fall on Wyoming residents.