RWE Power erects pilot facility for CO2 flue gas scrubbing, RWE
Release Date: 2009-03-18
Permit granted by Administrative District Officer at Cologne
Hans Peter Lindlar, Administrative District Officer at Cologne, granted the permit for RWE Power to erect and operate a pilot facility for CO2 flue gas scrubbing. The facility will be built in the coal innovation centre at the Niederaußem power plant site. Starting in the summer of this year, it will capture approx. 300 kilograms of CO2 per hour from a partial flue gas stream of the power plant. For the flue gas volume processed, this is equivalent to a filtration efficiency of 90 percent.
The pilot facility will serve to test all aspects of CO2 scrubbing under real conditions. RWE Power intends to gather experience with this project for future large-scale systems with which modern conventional lignite and hard coal-fired power plants can be backfitted from 2020.
"Especially in times of economic crisis it is important that both companies and regulatory authorities alike contribute jointly to safeguarding jobs by investments and efficient procedures. We have made our contribution and reviewed quickly all aspects of environmental protection, health and safety at work and construction law as part of the consenting process. I am therefore pleased to be able today to grant the final operating permit for the CO2 scrubber,“ Lindlar emphasized. RWE Power CEO Dr. Johannes Lambertz thanked the Administrative District Officer for the permit.
"We have to advance all technologies at the same time in order to achieve an utmost of efficiency and climate protection as soon as possible. Before modern coal-fired power plants can be equipped with CO2 capturing systems on a large scale, the overall processes have to be tested in practice when interacting with a power plant," Lambertz explained. The pilot system for CO2 scrubbing is part of the coal innovation centre as are the recently inaugurated fluidised-bed drying facility (WTA), the algae project and the REAplus high-performance scrubber. RWE Power uses the centre to develop technologies for future coal-fired power plants. The pilot system for CO2 scrubbing will be hooked on to the currently most modern and efficient lignite-fired power plant unit in the world, BoA 1.
For the CO2 scrubbing project, RWE Power entered into cooperation with BASF and Linde. The chemicals company is testing new, energy-efficient scrubbing suspensions for capturing CO2 from flue gas. Linde is optimising plant engineering for the operation of power stations, the aim being to significantly reduce the energy consumed for CO2 capture. This is because CO2 scrubbing, in general, detracts from the overall efficiency of power generation. This reduction has to be limited as far as possible in the interest of climate protection and economic efficiency.
The project is estimated to have a volume of € 9 million, 40 percent of which will be subsidised by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. RWE Power has earmarked a budget of approx. € 80 million for the entire development project including the erection and operation of a pilot and demonstration facility for CO2 scrubbing. This confirms the fundamental importance of low-carbon and more environmentally benign power generation in Germany as a place for industry in the future.
| Type: | NORMAL |
| Company: | RWE |
| Country: | Germany |
| Url: | http://www.rwe.com/web/cms/en/113648/rwe/press-news/press-release/?pmid=4003101 |