Kemper Project

The Kemper County IGCC Project, developed by Southern Company and its subsidiary Mississippi Power, was a first-of-a-kind integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plant in Mississippi designed to capture carbon dioxide from lignite coal combustion. The project utilized Transport Integrated Gasification (TRIG) technology to convert coal into synthesis gas, enabling pre-combustion CO₂ capture of approximately 65% of emissions (~3 million tonnes per year). Captured CO₂ was intended to be transported via pipeline for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in nearby oil fields. Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy through the Clean Coal Power Initiative, the project aimed to demonstrate commercial-scale carbon capture and storage while reducing emissions relative to conventional coal plants.