Alstom advances in the technology qualification program for CO2 capture at Mongstad in Norway

After a successful feasibility study, Alstom has now proceeded to the next step of the CO₂ capture technology qualification program for the full scale CO₂ capture plant at Technology Centre Mongstad (TCM). TCM is a joint venture between Gassnova, Statoil, Shell and Sasol.

Gassnova and Statoil chose Alstom in November 2011 as one of the suppliers to participate in the program that will eventually lead to the construction of a full scale CO₂ capture plant at Mongstad. The technology qualification program is divided into three phases; i) feasibility study, ii) demonstrating the capability of the technology to achieve the required performance and iii) concept study for the full-scale plant. The feasibility study is now successfully concluded and Alstom will now prove that their technology performs well under conditions valid for the full-scale plant.

Alstom’s Chilled Ammonia technology will be tested at the Technology Centre Mongstad on flue gas both from a gas-fired power station as well as on industrial off gas from the nearby refinery.

“We are excited to participate in this qualification program. Testing at the demonstration plant for the Chilled Ammonia Process (CAP), which was inaugurated on 7 May at Mongstad (TCM), will be very important in demonstrating again the performance of the CAP process on the same type of flue gas as the full-scale plant. Successful results will allow us to bid for the Front End Engineering and Design leading up to our target - the EPC contract which is planned to be awarded in 2016,” said Patrick Fragman, Vice President Environmental Control Systems and Carbon Capture & Storage at Alstom.

Following on the successful pilot (5MW) and demonstration plant (54MW) operation over the past few years, the Chilled Ammonia Process (CAP) has confirmed its potential to be one of the best-in-class technologies. The Alstom validation program has confirmed that the Chilled Ammonia Process is extremely efficient, and offers other environmental benefits, such as by-products that may be used as a fertilizer. Alstom is offering a full portfolio of the most advanced Carbon Capture Technologies for Power and Industrial applications, and committed to 16 active Carbon Capture and Storage projects with the global energy sector’s biggest utilities and industrial companies around the world.

Speaking on the achievement Tore Amundsen, Managing Director of TCM says: “We are looking forward to start up the unique Chilled Ammonia Plant, which we trust will have the potential for many power stations and industrial applications worldwide. We are also happy to have a large, global player like Alstom, as one of the main vendors of TCM”.