Australia To Short List $2 Billion Carbon Capture And Storage Projects
Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson AM MP, has announced four projects which will move to the next stage of assessment in the $2 billion Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Flagships Program.
The Australian Government will now spend up to $120 million on pre-feasibility work to further assess the following projects:
- Wandoan power plant project northwest of Brisbane, generating 334 mega watts (MWe) and aiming to store up to 2.5 mega tonnes of CO2 per annum;
- ZeroGen power plant project west of Gladstone in Queensland, generating 400 MWe and aiming to store up to 2.0 mega tonnes of CO2 per annum;
- Collie South West Hub project southwest of Perth which aims to store up to 3.3 mega tonnes of CO2 per annum, captured from surrounding industry including coal-fired power plants; and
- CarbonNet project in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley which aims to store between 3 and 5 mega tonnes of CO2 per annum, captured from coal-fired power plants in the region.
These projects will build on a range of other CCS technology development and demonstration projects, in particular the Delta Post Combustion Capture project in NSW. The Delta project has an in principle commitment of $50 million each from the Australian Government, the NSW Government and the Australian Coal Association.
The $2 billion CCS Flagships Program was announced in the 2009-10 Budget and is part of the Australian Government’s $4.5 billion Clean Energy Initiative.
The CCS Flagships Program will make an important contribution to the G8 goal of at least 20 large-scale integrated CCS projects globally by 2020.
The commercial deployment of CCS is critical if we are to reduce global CO2 emissions and deliver the energy security and economic growth we desire in a sustainable way.
With global use of coal forecast to increase throughout the coming decades, CCS is an essential part of the global response to climate change. Without CCS, ambitious global targets for reducing CO2 emissions by 2050 are unlikely to be achieved.
The Australian Government is taking a global leadership role in the deployment of CCS to help address the twin challenges of delivering both clean and secure energy supplies.
Our multi-billion investment in clean energy technologies – including renewables and energy efficiency – reflects the fact that the international community accepts coal and gas are fundamental sources of energy and that no serious response to climate change can ignore the need to reduce emissions from fossil fuels.
The Australian Government is investing in a clean energy strategy to accelerate potential technological breakthroughs across a wide range of energy options.
Minister Ferguson also released today the Carbon Storage Taskforce National Carbon Mapping and Infrastructure Plan which can be found at www.ret.gov.au.
Background
Wandoan power project
The Wandoan project involves a consortium of companies proposing an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle[1] power plant northwest of Brisbane. The project would have a net generating capacity of 334 mega watts (MWe). It aims to store up to 2.5 mega tonnes of CO2 per annum. It was chosen for further assessment because it is close to both an abundant supply of black coal and a good potential CO2 storage site.
ZeroGen power project
The ZeroGen project is an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle power plant proposed west of Gladstone. It would have a net capacity of up to 400 MWe. ZeroGen is a Queensland Government owned company with participation by the coal industry and a multi-national technology vendor. The project aims to store up to 2.0 mega tonnes of CO2 per annum. The project is near prospective geological formations for CO2 storage that are under assessment.
Collie South West Hub
The Collie South West Hub project southwest of Perth would be a CO2 storage hub collecting captured CO2 from surrounding industry, including coal-fired power plants. The Hub was chosen because it is near potentially suitable storage sites and a large source region for CO2 capture – the industrial centres of Kwinana and Collie. It aims to store up to 3.3 mega tonnes of CO2 per annum.
CarbonNet
CarbonNet, organised by the Victorian Government, is a CO2 storage hub collecting captured CO2 from Latrobe Valley industry, including coal-fired power plants. CarbonNet was chosen because it is near potentially suitable storage sites, both onshore and offshore, as well as having the potential to bring together a range of CO2 capture projects from a large industrial region. It aims to store between 3 and 5 mega tonnes of CO2 per annum.
Topics: Australia, carbon, carbon capture, carbon capture and storage, Carbon Capture and Storage Flagships Program, ccs, climate change, commercial, Economy, emissions, environment, finance, global response, governacne, investment, reduce
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