Alstom and TransAlta launch Project Pioneer, designed to capture and store one megatonne of CO2 emissions per year

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Alstom and major Canadian power company TransAltaalong with their
partners in the governments of Canada and Alberta and Capital
Powerannounced on October 15th the creation of a partnership to
construct a large-scale carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and storage (CCS)
demonstration facility at one of TransAltas coal-fired generating
stations in Canada. The project is a major step toward advancing the
capture of greenhouse gas emissions, with over 500 million euros funded
by the Canadian and Alberta governments, and will be named Project
Pioneer.

Project Pioneer will be located at the Keephills 3 power plant and will use Alstoms proprietary Chilled Ammonia Process, one of the most promising and potentially lowest cost solutions for safe and reliable capture of CO2 emissions. Keephills 3, a joint venture between Transalta and Capital Power, is a 450 MW supercritical coal fired power plant to be built adjacent to the existing Keephills power plant in Wabamun, Alberta, Canada, about 60 km from Edmonton.

The demonstration project will be able to capture approximately one million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. It will be the first project in the world that will capture and store carbon at this magnitude, as well as the first to have its own integrated underground storage system. The project is one of the last major steps required by Alstom prior to commercial availability from 2015 onwards.  

The Canadian governments choice of Alstom and Transalta confirms the recognition of Alstoms technology leadership in the capture of CO2, said Philippe Joubert, President of Alstom Power. The significant size of this project demonstrates that we are no longer in the testing phase, but are ready for commercialisation. The lessons learned from Project Pioneer, as well as other carbon capture and storage projects worldwide will allow Alstom to answer to its engagement to commercialise its carbon capture technology, he added.

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