Sep. 2--NRG Energy continues its quest to find government funding for a low-greenhouse-gas-emitting coal plant.

The company has applied to the Department of Energy to split costs on equipment to capture carbon dioxide from NRG's coal-fired power plant southwest of Houston. NRG won't say how much the equipment would cost.

If the federal government won't help pay for the equipment, NRG will look for "other opportunities to offset the cost," said spokeswoman Lori Neuman.

That might include carbon credits under pending climate change legislation or tax relief, she said.

The company said Tuesday that it would finish adding the equipment made by Fluor Corp. to the WA Parish coal plant in 2013. The demonstration plant would process flue gas from about 60 megawatts of power generation capacity and would capture about 90 percent of the incoming carbon dioxide.

Once captured, the carbon dioxide would be compressed and sold to oil production companies that use the gas to boost well production.

NRG has been trying for years to find a city, state or federal entity to help pay for a clean coal plant. NRG has stumped for a partnership to pay for a coal gasification plant that captures greenhouse gases.

The company applied to the DOE this time only for help paying for carbon-capture equipment, not an entire plant.

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