NRG Energy Inc. plans to suspend operations at its Petra Nova carbon-capture project in Fort Bend County, Texas, beginning Dec. 20, according to a Sept. 21 notice posted by the Electric Reliability Council Of Texas Inc.

The project, located at NRG's W.A. Parish 5-8 coal-fired power plant, will have seasonal operation between June 1 and Sept. 30, according to the notice.

The project captures carbon dioxide from the coal-fired power plant and transports it through pipelines to mature oil wells. Operations at the project have been suspended since May because low oil prices driven by the COVID-19 pandemic made it uneconomic.

The project has a summer seasonal net maximum sustainable rating of 71 MW, and a summer seasonal net minimum sustainable rating of 65 MW, according to the ERCOT notice.

Petra Nova is the only operational carbon-capture project in the U.S. NRG jointly owns the project with JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corp.