Please see our Newsletter for a full round-up of all the week's news.
27 August 2010
DECC CO2 Storage Licensing Plans Published
The Government has released its plans on how it will
license CO2 storage under the sea bed, following its recent consultation on
geological storage of CO2. DECC will now lay the regulations before Parliament
in order to comply with European rules on the underground storage of CO2.
These will come into effect on 1 October. Charles Hendry MP, Minister of State
for Energy said: “Carbon capture and storage is essential for mitigating
climate change while maintaining energy security.” View the plans.
26 August 2010
UK-Norway Collaboration Strengthened
The UK and Norway are to increase co-operation to re-establish
the North Sea as one of the world’s leading energy hubs. A ministerial
statement has been signed by the British and Norweigan Energy Ministers, Charles
Hendry and Terje Riis-Johansen respectively, to formalise the pact. The partnership
will focus on encouraging renewable and clean technologies. The two countries
will collaborate at upcoming negotiations on CCS technologies in order to
accelerate the development of storage projects around the North Sea. View
the story.
View the original report.
26 August 2010
B9 Coal Enters UK CCS Competition
B9 coal has announced that they will enter the upcoming
government competition for a further three UK CCS Projects. B9 Coal is proposing
to build a 500MW plant at the Rio Tinto Alcan plant at Lynemouth, Northumberland.
The plant would use underground coal gasification technology, resulting in
“syngas” which is passed through a clean-up process, separating
hydrogen from carbon dioxide. It would allow 90% of CO2 emissions to be captured
and would also convert hydrogen to electricity at 60% efficiency. This is
estimated to result in electricity costing as low as 4p per kWh. B9 Coal is
part of a consortium including WSP Group, AFC Energy and Linc Energy. View
the story.
23 August 2010
India and U.S. To Set Up Clean Energy Research Institute
India and the United States have agreed to set up a clean
energy research centre to develop low carbon technologies such as solar energy,
smart grids and clean coal technologies including CCS and IGCC. The centre
will be virtual, with no physical infrastructure, where Indian and American
professionals, students and policy makers will be able to interact. View the
story.
23 August 2010
UK Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) to Conduct CCS Study
The ETI is to study the availability and distribution
of suitable minerals across the UK and technologies that could be used to
capture and store CO2 emissions. A consortium, led by Caterpillar, including
Shell, the British Geological Survey and Centre for Innovation in Carbon Capture
and Storage at the University of Nottingham, was selected for this £1
million project. The study will include assessment of the distribution of
suitable materials together with an estimate of how much of these could practically
be used and indicate the economics of CO2 capture by mineralisation. In addition
the study will identify technologies that could be developed to meet the UK
requirements and determine the viability of mineralisation compared to traditional
CCS approaches. View the story.
August 2010
U.S. Universities receive DoE funding for CCS Research
The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) has awarded $3 million in research grants
to Montana and Wyoming Universities to study ways of storing carbon from power
plants. Montana State University is to receive $1.6 million of over three
years as part of $21.3 million that the DoE is spending on 15 universities
to research better ways to store CO2 underground. The University of Wyoming
will receive $1.5 million (View the story).
New Mexico Tech is to receive $400,000 as a three-year grant (View the story),
whilst Georgia Institute of Technology has also been awarded funding (View
the story).
Cornell University and University of Buffallo have received $1.3 million (View
the story).
17 August 2010
Chris Huhne MP Responds to Guardian Article
UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change,
Chris Huhne, has responded to an article in the Guardian, “Dirtiest
coal power plants win reprieve”, explaining that the coalition is
not “watering down” commitments, and reiterated the Government’s
commitment to introducing an emissions performance standard. He also emphasised
that new coal power stations will not be built unless equipped with carbon
capture and storage. View the story.
12 August 2010
U.S. Interagency Task Force on CCS Delivers Recommendations to President Obama
The Interagency Task on CCS, co-chaired by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) have delivered
recommendations to President Obama on overcoming barriers to the widespread,
cost-effective deployment of CCS within 10 Years. The report concludes that
CCS can play an important role in reducing domestic GHG emissions. In February
2010, the president sent a memorandum requesting the task force to propose
a plan for the widespread, cost-effective deployment of CCS within 10 years,
with a goal of bringing 5 to 10 commercial demonstration projects online by
2016. View the press
release.
11 August 2010
US DoE Selects CO2 Storage Projects
The US Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu today
announced funding of $21.3 million over three years for 15 projects to develop
technologies for safely storing CO2 in different geological formations across
the US. These projects will complement existing US DoE efforts such as the
Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships, and will address issues such as
CO2 injectivity, storage capacity, plume migration and containment. View the
press
release.
6 August 2010
Doosan Tests Successful at World’s Largest OxyCoal™ Test Facility
Doosan Power Systems has announced a successful first
year of testing at the world’s largest OxyCoal™ Clean Combustion
Test Facility at Renfrew. This is a major step in making full-scale carbon
capture a reality. It has successfully demonstrated the OxyCoal™ Clean
Combustion system for the first time on a full-size 40MWth burner. View the
press
release.
5 August 2010
$1 Billion for CCS Network in Illinois
The U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and U.S. Senator
Dick Durbin announced the award of $1 billion in Recovery Act funding to the
FutureGen 2.0 Project, which involves Ameren Energy Rescources, Babcock &
Wilcox, and Air Liquide Process & Construction, Inc. It is an investment
in the world’s first, commercial-scale, oxy-combustion power plant.
The partner recipients will repower Ameren’s 200MW Unit 4 in Meredosia,
Illinois with advanced oxy-combustion technology. It will deliver 90% CO2
capture. Furthermore, project partners working with the State of Illinois
will establish a regional CO2 storage site in Mattoon Illinois and CO2 pipeline
network from Meredosia to Mattoon that will transport and store more than
1 million tons of captured CO2 per year. View the press
release.
UPDATE: MATTOON HAS BACKED OUT OF FUTUREGEN 2.0. VIEW
THE STORY.
5 August 2010
Vince Cable announces Low Carbon Investment
Business Secretary Vince Cable visited the North East
of the UK to announce the latest funding package of £4.6 million from the
Tees Valley Industrial Programme (TVIP) for 14 projects in the region, with
£1.3 million of this being used to develop CCS in the North East. The Government
has invested £30 million of the £60 million allocated to TVIP. This investment
will create over 1,700 full time jobs and safeguard 1,200 more. Overall, the
Programme will create 3,000 jobs and sustain over 10,000 jobs in the long
term. View the article.
3 August 2010
Bellona CCS Roundtable in Hungary
A meeting hosted by the British Embassy and co-organised
by Bellona and Hungarian environmental NGO Energia Klub brought together more
than 30 participants representing governmental departments, major power companies,
environmental NGOs and research institutions to discuss CCS issues such as
safety, long-term responsibility and economic efficiency. Eivind Hoff, director
of Bellona Europe, presented the ‘Bellona Scenario’, suggesting that although
there is no single solution for reaching a carbon neutral economy, CCS and
carbon negative energy could contribute 30% to long-term climate mitigation
targets. Péter Kardos, climate change expert from Energia Klub, and Chris
Littlecott, from NGO Green Alliance, also provided keynote discussions on
unanswered concerns on CCS deployment and the UK’s CCS policy. View the full
story.
2 August 2010
Siemens to supply CCS technology for the Texas Clean Energy Project
Siemens (CCSA member) has been awarded a Front End Engineering
Design (FEED) contract by Summit Texas Clean Energy LLC to provide coal gasification
and power block technology for the Texas Clean Energy Project (TCEP). The
project received a US$350 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s
Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI)- Round 3 to demonstrate the commercial
integration of large-scale IGCC with CO2 capture and geological storage. This
new polygeneration coal IGCC project will have a gross capacity of 400MWe,
with a carbon capture rate of 90% (around 3 million tons/year), making it
one of the largest rates in the world. The CO2 will be used for enhanced oil
recovery in the West Texas area. The TCEP will be located in Penwell, near
Odessa, Texas. Siemens will work with Fluor Corporation and Linde during the
project’s FEED. View the full
story.
30 July 2010
Cameron Praises Edinburgh University for Carbon Capture Research
UK Prime Minister David Cameron, on his official visit
to India, praised Edinburgh University for its work on carbon capture research
in India. He explained his belief that the UK can be leader in carbon capture
and storage technology. One of the purposes of Cameron’s visit is to increase
collaboration in energy research. View the full
story.
28 July 2010
Lord Hunt Oral Question on Carbon Capture and Storage
Lord Hunt put forward a question on the subject of coal
and gas CCS at the House of Lords. Lord Hunt highlighted that coal will be
a prime energy product in the foreseeable future, and with the UK’s
natural reserves on coal and CCS export potential. Lord Marland agreed that
the priority must be on coal CCS, and the Government is considering advice
from the Committee on Climate Change to support at least one gas CCS project
in the UK. The subject of storage in North Sea aquifers, time scales involved
in deploying CCS commercially and the UK-China CCS projects for near-zero
carbon emissions and the role of the UK in CCS development were also discussed.
View the question.
July 2010
SUDG launches new ‘Sustainable Development and the Sea’ brochure
The Seabed User & Developer Group (SUDG), of which
the CCSA is a member, launched their new ‘Sustainable Development and
the Sea’ brochure on 21 July at the House of Commons. The reception
was hosted by Anne Begg MP and DEFRA minister, Richard Benyon MP, who made
the keynote speech. SUDG represents marine industries committed to sustainable
development, including oil and gas, renewable energy and CCS. SUDG worked
closely wih Government, regulators and conservation bodies during the development
of the Marine and Coastal Access Act, which requires that decisions about
managing the sea should take into account the socio-economic value of any
development proposal as well as the environmental consequences. View the press
release and the brochure.
27 July 2010
UK: Coalition Releases First Annual Energy Statement
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne has
released the first Annual Energy Statement, which provides 32 action points
for energy and climate change policy of the coalition government, as well
as announcing 6 pathways to 2050 that could result in an 80% decrease in carbon
emissions, and a ‘2050’ calculator which allows the public to
explore the trade-offs required to create a secure, low carbon energy system
in the future. The 2050 pathways concentrate on a combination of renewables,
nuclear and carbon capture and storage.
The Annual Energy Statement reaffirms the Coalition’s commitment to continuing public sector investment in four CCS demonstration Projects and establishing an Emissions Performance Standard (EPS) to limit CO2 emissions for future coal-fired stations.
Finally, a CCS Development Forum will be launched to hold DECC to account on delivering it CCS commitments, in order to promptly deliver CCS in the UK and address potential barriers. A CCS Roadmap is intended to be published with proposed time-scales as well as key policy and commercial issues that have to be addressed and when. View the statement.
27 July 2010
Fluor Corporation’s Carbon Capture Technology To Be Used By Tenaska
Tenaska is to use Fluor’s Econamine FG Plus SM
Carbon Capture technology for the proposed Tenaska Trailblazer Energy Centre
near Sweeatwater, Texas. It will be a 600 MW pulverized coal plant that will
capture 85-90% of CO2 by-product, which will be sent to the Permian Basin
and used in Enhanced Oil Recovery. View the article.
26 July 2010
U.S. Department of energy announces funding for two demonstration projects
The U.S. Department of Energy has funded two demonstration
projects to advance CO2 capture technologies. Tampa Electric is in partnership
with CCSA member Siemens to pilot a project at Tampa Electric’s Big
Bend Power Station in Ruskin, Florida (see story from 19 July).
Furthermore, Tampa Electric is in partnership with RTI International and Shaw Group to study new technology to clean synthetic gas at elevated temperatures, in order to evaluate the construction of a pilot project at the 250MW IGCC plant at Tampa Electric Polk Power Station.
It is expected to reduce capital and operating costs of an IGCC plant that is fitted with carbon capture technology. View the article.
22 July 2010
New Inquiry Launched on Emissions Performance Standards
A new Inquiry has been launched by the UK Parliament
into Emissions Performs Standards (EPSs) for power stations. The Commons Energy
and Climate Change Committee wants to understand what impact an EPS would
have on both the development of CCS as well as on domestic energy prices.
The committee is looking into what the level for an EPS should be in the UK
both for coal and gas-fired plant. View the news
story.
20 July 2010
Chris Huhne Launches Global Carbon Capture and Storage Initiative
An international work programme to facilitate CCS enhancement
and deployment has today been announced by Chris Huhne, Secretary of State
for DECC, as part of the first meeting of the Clean Energy Ministerial convened
in Washington by US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. Mr Huhne stated “that
the new 'Carbon Capture, Use and Storage Action Group (CCUS) would bring together
governments, businesses and other key stakeholders in a regular forum to debate,
inform and help execute plans to accelerate CCS deployment between now and
2020.” Mr Huhne also emphasised the importance of CCS technology for
tackling climate change, however he stressed the need for governments to introduce
frameworks for regulation and incentives to enable deployment. View press
release.
21 July 2010
Britain and Australia Agree to Collaborate on Carbon Capture and Storage
Two days of talks took place in Washington between 21
nations on climate change and energy issues, as an offshoot of the US Major
Economies Forum. The nations agreed 11 initiatives of joint work, including
an agreement between Britain and Australia to work together on accelerating
work on carbon capture and storage. View the news
story .
19 July 2010
US Department of Energy Awards Grant to Siemens Energy for CO2 Capture
A carbon capture pilot plant for treating a slipstream
at Tampa Electric's coal-fired power plant in Florida is being designed, installed
and operated by CCSA member Siemens Energy, through a $8.9m grant from the
US DoE. The post-combustion demonstration will treat a 1MW slipstream of the
flue gas from the 1,892 MW power station, where the pilot will capture 90
percent of the CO2 emissions, and hopefully reduce the amount of energy traditionally
required for carbon capture. This pilot plant is scheduled to be in operation
in 2013. View the news
story .
19 July 2010
Committee on Climate Change Calls for UK to Protect Funding for Development
of Low-Carbon Technologies
The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has today published
the report Building a low-carbon economy – the UK’s innovation
challenge, calling for the UK to ensure funding is maintained for the development
and deployment of vital low-carbon technologies that will significantly help
the UK reach its 2050 target of 80% reduction in emissions. The report recommends
that funding should focus on six key technologies, one of which is CCS. In
2009/10, the UK spent £550m on low-carbon RD&D – as a percentage
of GDP, this is currently less than several other countries, including Denmark,
Norway, Japan, Korea, U.S. and France. View the report.
16 July 2010
Low Carbon Energy Agreement with Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd and Mitsubishi
Power Systems Europe Ltd) and SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy plc) have
entered into a strategic agreement to co-operate on low carbon energy developments.The
agreement will enable the partners to explore a range of technologies including
offshore wind farms, advanced technology for smart electricity grids and low
carbon vehicles, carbon capture and storage and high-efficiency power generation.
View the news
story .
8 July 2010
Market Sounding for CCS Demonstration Programme Projects 2-4
The DECC will begin a 2 month market sounding process
for the UK’s CCS Demonstration Programme, spanning from 8 July to 15 September.
Although not a formal consultation, it will help the Department to explore
options for the CCS demonstration project selection and funding processes,
as well as learn about projects being considered by industry. View the announcement.
8 July 2010
Scottish and Southern Energy announce gas Carbon Capture and Storage project
Scottish and Southern Energy has decided to prepare a Carbon Capture and Storage
project at its gas-fired power station at Peterhead, Aberdeenshire. The project
would demonstrate post-combustion capture of carbon dioxide emissions relating
to the electricity output of the equivalent of 400MW of capacity. It would
involve using an existing gas turbine, an existing steam turbine, an existing
electricity network connection and land adjacent to the power station already
owned by SSE. View the press
release.
6 July 2010
New Method to Gauge America’s CO2 Storage Potential
A new methodology to assess America’s potential to store carbon dioxide
(CO2) is available. The U.S. Geological Survey will commence a national assessment
of CO2 storage potential now that its assessment methodology is complete.
This research can be used to plan for the long-term storage of CO2 to help
lessen the impacts of climate change. View the press
release.
2 July 2010
China starts building first carbon capture project
China has started construction of its first carbon dioxide capture and storage
project in Ordos in Inner Mongolia to reduce carbon emissions. The project
will cost 210 million yuan ($30.9 million) and will be able to hold 100,000
metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, China National Petroleum Corp, the country's
biggest oil producer and the plant's designer, said in a statement on its
website today. The facility will start operations by the end of the year,
it said. View the full news
story.
1 July 2010
CO2CRC begins next five years of CCS research
Australia’s world-leading research into carbon capture and storage (CCS)
is set to continue with a new five year program of CO2CRC research now underway.
“CO2CRC’s 2010-2015 program tackles the full chain of CCS - capture,
transport and geological storage of carbon dioxide – while focusing
on the major technical obstacles to large scale deployment,” said Dr
Peter Cook, Chief Executive of CO2CRC. “The next five years will be
crucial for the global development of CCS, as commercial projects begin to
come on-stream, both here, through the Federal Government’s CCS Flagship
initiative, and overseas.” View the press
release.
For earlier news stories, please visit the news archive here
