Alstoms carbon capture technology commercially ready to go by 2015

• CCS specialist delivers paper on Alstoms 13 CO2 capture projects at National CCS Week Conference 
• Carbon capture is needed for gas generation as well as coal 
• A price on carbon is required to make carbon capture a reality 

Alstom expert addresses international CCS conference in Melbourne

Alstom, a global leader in the supply of equipment and services for power generation, will offer fully proven large-scale commercial carbon capture technologies by 2015, international carbon capture specialist Louis Sonnois, CO2 Market Manager for Alstom Power confirmed today.

Mr Sonnois explained how Alstom is realising its ambitious timetable during his presentation, Lessons learned from CO2 capture technology development at the National CCS Week Conference at the Park Hyatt in Melbourne.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies capture the CO2 released during the combustion of coal and gas for power generation and industry. According to the International Panel on Climate Change, without CCS it will not be possible to keep CO2 emissions at levels which do not lead to catastrophic climate change. CCS therefore plays an essential role in global emission reduction.

Alstoms carbon capture technologies will be commercially available by 2015

Alstom currently operates seven fully functional small to medium scale carbon capture projects around the world as part of a continuing program that has made it an international leader in developing commercial scale carbon capture technology. Five more projects are undergoing feasibility and pre-engineering studies, and one more is under construction. Together, they will capture millions of tonnes of CO2 every year.

This extensive experience makes Alstom confident that this target, once considered ambitious, will be achieved on schedule  

"Alstom is well on track to meet its CCS roadmap. Our large-scale CCS demonstration projects are on target to be completed before 2015. We will have a commercial offering available in 2015," said Alstom CO2 Market Manager Louis Sonnois.

"According to our estimates, the continuing improvement in technology is such that with a carbon price the cost of electricity generated using CCS technology will be competitive with any other decarbonised power generation, including wind.

One of the challenges for CCS technology is the energy penalty the amount of energy needed to run a power stations carbon capture equipment. According to Mr Sonnois, improvements in CCS efficiency are already bringing about a 15%-20% reduction in the energy penalty incurred by power plants using CCS and this will continue to fall.

As Alstom learns more through its pilot projects and commercial installations, the cost of CCS technology will continue to decline while the efficiency of these power plants increases. We have seen this happen on other technologies in the past as we reach commercialisation.

Carbon capture must also be considered for gas generation

It is just as important that CCS is also considered for future gas-fired power stations, as well as coal-fired power stations, Mr Sonnois added.

While base load gas power stations can emit as much as 50% less CO2 as coal power stations, it is still important to reduce their emissions in the long term. Furthermore, the upfront cost to install CCS on a gas-fired power plant is less than for coal, he said.

A price on carbon is required to make carbon capture a reality

Mr Sonnois said a carbon price would create predictability in the energy market and enable the construction of electricity generation assets with potential life spans of up to 50 years. Without a carbon price Mr Sonnois said it was unlikely that CCS technology would be economically viable.

Carbon capture is the third pillar of Alstoms Clean Power Today strategy, which also advocates a broad portfolio of carbon-free power generation solutions for power generation and the importance of efficiency improvements in power plants. All three technology strategies need to be deployed in order to keep global CO2 levels under control.

Press Contact
Michael Scott Tel. (02) 8870 6065, Mob: 0427 407 719
Michael.scott@power.alstom.com

Press Contact
Alvin Stone (Primary Communications) Tel. (02) 9212 3888, Mob: 0418 617 366
astone@primary-pr.com

PIONEER LARGE-SCALE DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS

• Owner: Transalta, Canada
• Received grant of AUD 5 million from Global CCS Institute
• Process: Pulverised Coal boiler combusting low-sulphur, sub-bituminous coal
• Capture Technology: Chilled Ammonia Post-Combustion
• CO2 Capture Capacity: 1 million metric tonnes per year
• Commissioning: 2015
• More information: http://new.globalccsinstitute.com/institute/news/global-ccs-institute-t…

 LACQ PROJECT:

• Owner: Total, France
• Process: Natural gas boiler
• Capture Technology: Oxy-Combustion
• CO2 Capture Capacity: 60,000 metric tonnes per year
• Commissioning: Mid 2009
• Scope: Retrofit of 30 MWth conventional bioler for oxy-combustion.
• Project demonstrates the complete chain of carbon capture and storage technologies. Compressed CO2 is currently being transported and injected into depleted gas fields, 30 km from the plant.