South Korean delegation impressed with Kemper

At first glance, Mississippi and South Korea may seem to have little in common. After all, Mississippi’s mostly rural land is home to just under 3 million people, while more than 50 million live in South Korea, a country that is 10,000 square miles smaller than the state of Mississippi. However, energy experts in both places are working toward a similar goal, a way forward for coal to fulfill the need for clean and affordable energy.

A delegation from South Korea recently toured Mississippi Power’s Kemper County energy facility to learn about the innovative integrated gasification combined cycle power plant that will use 21st century technology and its potential in their country. After seeing multiple presentations on the operation and touring the facility, the delegates said what they saw was “impressive.”

South Korea is highly dependent on fossil fuel for power generation and the government has stringent regulations in place to control emissions. Balancing the energy and environmental needs are key factors in South Korea’s interest in the Kemper facility.

“Korea actually imports all coal from other countries. We don’t have any natural resources. Natural gas is three times more expensive than coal,” said Dr. Chang-Keun Yi, the Senior Research at the Korean Institute of Energy Research. “If we have this type of facility we can make clean synthesis gas from cheap coal so that can be a benefit for us.”

The South Koreans are the latest in a growing list of international energy leaders and governmental officials to visit the Kemper facility. Kerry Bowers, the technology licensing director for Southern Company is traveling the world sharing the story of the Kemper County energy facility and is happy to bring energy experts from around the world to east Mississippi.

“They’re here, not only to learn about TRIG, (Transport Integrated Gasification,) they’re here to learn how we control CO2 from this technology,” said Bowers. “They have to learn how to control CO2 from other forms of power generation.”

In the last year, Mississippi Power and Southern Company have welcomed visitors from a dozen nations, including China, Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United Nations. “The common thread is how we can have a secure, stable supply of electric power generation from using a low-cost fuel just like here in Mississippi. So the same story sells all over the world,” Bowers said.