Waukesha technology enables 1st carbon-neutral gas storage facility in U.S.
The U.S. has its first carbon-neutral gas storage facility, thanks to INNIO’s Waukesha technology. To reduce baseline emissions, the Katy Storage and Transportation facility in Texas, owned by Enstor Gas, LLC, selected factory rebuilt reUp Waukesha VHP Series Five engines. The remaining emissions are offset using carbon credits purchased through the American Carbon Registry.
Multiple technologies were evaluated for emission reductions, but Enstor ultimately chose the VHP Series Five for its ability to reduce about 90% of methane in the exhaust, and reduce CO2e intensity by about 20%. When compared with tradition rich-burn technology, the VHP Series Five engine is about 10% more fuel efficient.
The nine Waukesha VHP lean burn engines at Katy came through INNIO’s reUp remanufacturing and upgrade program. Rebuilt VHP Series Five engines have the same footprint and are placed into the same location as the existing engines. The reUp program reduces the environmental impact of manufacturing new engines while enabling new engine technology and performance to benefit existing operations.
Reducing environmental impacts can be a costly endeavor, but Enstor is leading the way forward and showing that this goal can be completed while remaining profitable. The reUp program allowed Katy to upgrade to the latest technologies while reusing its existing infrastructure, compressors, and most of the existing package. The modified VHP Series Five piston design installed at Katy improves combustion, extends service intervals, and reduces hydrocarbon emissions. Lower NOx, CO, CO2, and CH4 emissions can be achieved simultaneously with the VHP Series Five.
The project is funded in part by the state of Texas through a New Technology Implementation Grant Program from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
About Enstor’s Katy Storage and Transporation facility
Katy is a high-deliverability, multicycle natural gas storage facility located in the Fort Bend and Waller counties in Texas. The facility consists of a depleted gas production reservoir, redeveloped as a natural gas storage reservoir, and a dual pipeline header system interconnecting with 14 major natural gas pipelines. The facility’s strategic location and connectivity place it at the intersection of production from the Northeast, South Texas, and the Permian Basin. The Katy facility is well-positioned to serve growing market demand for LNG liquefaction and natural gas exports into Mexico. The facility serves the storage needs of natural gas producers, energy marketers, electric power generators, utilities, and industrial users.