The Global CCS Institute has received overwhelming support from its members for its strategy to accelerate the deployment of commercial-scale CCS projects around the world, while CO2CRC will host Australia’s leading carbon capture and storage research symposium from 1 to 3 December.

This year CO2CRC will host Australia’s leading carbon capture and storage research symposium at the Hyatt Regency Coolum, Sunshine Coast, Queensland from 1 to 3 December.

Attendees can expect a comprehensive overview of current national and international research on carbon dioxide capture and storage technologies as well as demonstration projects covering CO2 capture and storage.

Source: www.sym09.co2crc.com.au

Global CCS Institute To Push Ahead with Members Support

The Global CCS Institute has received overwhelming support from its members for its strategy to accelerate the deployment of commercial-scale CCS projects around the world, it announced earlier in the month.

More than 160 delegates representing ten national governments, and over 150 leading corporations, non-government bodies and research organisations attended the Global CCS Institute’s members’ meeting over the past two days in Paris.

Members provided feedback and critique towards a strategy focused on both the support for specific projects, and the sharing of knowledge at this the first members’ meeting since the company was formed.

The strategy will see the Global CCS Institute move quickly to provide targeted support to projects that are in advanced stages of development but are facing barriers preventing progress. The organisation will now finalise a process to invite external bodies to apply for funding that will assist in moving specific projects into bankable form.

The Global CCS Institute will also work directly with projects in earlier stages of development and through strategic partnerships with organisations including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, the Clinton Climate Initiative and The Climate Group. This two-pronged approach is expected to assist in increasing both the number and diversity of projects that are kick-started.

CEO of Global CCS Institute Nick Otter said “I am greatly encouraged by the constructive feedback we have received from our members over the past two days. In less than five months since we were incorporated the Global CCS Institute is now in a position to take rapid action to tackle the real problems facing the industry.”

The Global CCS Institute is an initiative to accelerate the worldwide commercial deployment of at-scale CCS, whereby CO2 is captured, transported and then injected deep underground for secure, long-term storage.

Source: www.globalccsinstitute.com

Some Carbon and Capture Storage News from around the world:

China has over 100 years of carbon dioxide (CO2) storage potential, according to a study summary release by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), one of the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) national laboratories.

The study, involving scientists from the DOE and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, concluded that China has enough onshore geological CO2 storage potential for 2,300 GtCO2 (billion tonnes of CO2), and a further 780 GtCO2 capacity in offshore sites. This is enough to store over 100 years of China’s CO2 emissions.

The study also mapped the largest point sources of CO2 in China, such as coal-fired power stations, chemical refineries, cement plants and steel mills, and found that more than 90 per cent of these are within 100 miles of potential storage sites. This means there would be little need to build expensive long distance pipelines, helping to minimise the cost of CO2 transportation.

“For the first time ever, we have quantified the potential for future large-scale carbon capture and storage deployment within China,” said Bob Dahowski of the PNNL. “Our work suggests that CO2 capture and storage can provide a key element of China’s portfolio of options for cost effectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Source: www.pnl.gov and www.newgencoal.com.au

American Electric Power (AEP) have begun capturing and storing carbon dioxide (CO2) at the Mountaineer coal-fired power plant in West Virginia. The project marks a significant step forward as it is the first to apply the entire carbon capture and storage (CCS) process to an electric power plant.

In partnership with Alstom, who have fitted their chilled ammonia post-combustion capture technology, AEP will capture and store 100,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. The project will run for between two and five years and will provide valuable information that will enable the technology to be scaled up to a commercial level.

The captured CO2 will be injected and permanently stored in deep saline formations 8,000 feet beneath the power plant, where it will be carefully monitored to assess how the CO2 behaves in the storage site and ensure permanent and safe storage.

Alstom and AEP are optimistic that the technology will be ready for commercial operation by 2015. The next stage will be a full-scale facility at Mountaineer capable of capturing and sequestering 1 million tonnes of CO2 per year.

Federal and state government officials today joined executives from American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) and Alstom at AEP’s Mountaineer Plant to formally commission the world’s first project to both capture and store carbon dioxide (CO2) from a coal-fired power plant. The officials hailed the project as a significant milestone in the effort to reduce CO2 emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels.

The Mountaineer CCS demonstration project, which began capturing CO2 Sept. 1 and storing it Oct. 2, is designed to capture at least 100,000 metric tonnes of CO2 annually.

“Commercialization of carbon capture and storage technology is an essential part of a successful strategy to address climate change, not only for the United States, which relies on coal-fired generation for about half of its electricity supply, but also for coal-dependent nations around the world,” said Michael G. Morris, AEP chairman, president and chief executive officer. “Coal is a low-cost, abundant fuel source, but its use is a significant source of carbon dioxide emissions. We are pleased to be working with Alstom and our other partners on a project that plays a significant role in the advancement of a technology that will allow us to continue to depend on coal for electricity generation with reduced environmental impact.”

Alstom Power President Philippe Joubert said, “We are proud to partner with American Electric Power to demonstrate the technology of capturing CO2 for coal-fired power plants. Mountaineer, which is at the leading edge of all our demonstration projects worldwide, demonstrates the integration of all three stages of the process—capture, transport, and storage. We reaffirm our commitment to making commercial carbon capture offerings by 2015.”

AEP’s Mountaineer Plant is a 1,300-megawatt electrical (MWe) coal-fired unit that was retrofitted earlier this year with Alstom’s patented chilled ammonia CO2 capture technology on a 20-MWe portion, or “slipstream,” of the plant’s exhaust “flue gas.” The slipstream of flue gas is chilled and combined with a solution of ammonium carbonate, which absorbs the CO2 to create ammonium bicarbonate. The ammonium bicarbonate solution is then pressurized and heated in a separate process to safely and efficiently produce a high-purity stream of CO2. The CO2 will be compressed and piped for storage into deep geologic formations, roughly 1.5 miles beneath the plant surface. Approximately 90 percent of the CO2 from the 20-MWe slipstream will be captured and permanently stored.

AEP has applied for federal stimulus funding to scale up the Alstom chilled ammonia technology to 235 MWe at Mountaineer Plant. The proposed commercial-scale demonstration will capture and geologically store approximately 1.5 million metric tonnes of CO2 per year.

Source: www.aep.com