Prospectus For Carbon Capture And Storage Cluster Technology
One North East has today published a prospectus for the development of a Carbon Capture and Storage Cluster (CCS) in North East England – pioneering technology which offers major investment and job creation potential for the North East
The document identifies the region’s strengths and future plans for CCS, whilst making a strong case for further investment in the North East. CCS is necessary for a number of industrial processes to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and is particularly vital in North East England due to the presence of the Chemical and Process Industries, which employ an estimated 26,000 people across the region.
As well as safeguarding vital jobs and creating new roles in research and innovation, CCS is central to proposed major power generation projects. Planned projects include a new CCS power plant for Eston Grange in the Tees Valley and a part-conversion of the Rio Tinto Alcan power plant at Lynemouth, Northumberland which together will capture up to 7.5m tonnes of CO2 per year.
These ground breaking projects integrate established technologies and are at a sufficiently advanced stage for partners to be confident that a CCS Cluster could be operational in 2015. An independent report commissioned by the Department of Energy and Climate Change indicates clean coal technology could bring between £2bn and £4bn a year into the UK economy by 2030 and support up to 60,000 jobs in engineering, manufacturing and procurement.
Alan Clarke, Chief Executive of One North East, said: “The development of a Carbon Capture and Storage cluster in the North East could protect thousands of jobs, as well as giving the region a longer-term, sustainable solution for energy-intensive industries.
“The partnership developing this cluster has the technology, knowledge and political vision to help North East England to lead the world in this field. This prospectus outlines all the work that has been done to date in the region in this area, how we as a region can move forward, and how we can deliver the plan.
“There remains a significant amount of work to complete so that we are in a position to progress this project further, but this work is now being accelerated as part of our plan to develop the industries of the future in the North East, and the Tees Valley in particular.”
It would pipe captured CO2 to a large permanent storage site already identified in the North Sea, or be used in ageing North Sea oilfields to increase production and extend field lives. The cluster development would have the potential to expand and capture up to at least 15m tonnes of CO2 per year.
The current Lynemouth Power Station comprises three 140 megawatt generating units. The proposal, subject to securing funding, is to convert one of the three units to CCS technology and as a result increase energy generation by more than 150%. Carbon emissions from the unit would be removed, transported via under-sea pipeline and stored in the off-shore aquifer.
Wyn Jones, Rio Tinto Alcan’s UK Managing Director, said: “Our existing Lynemouth Power Station has served the smelter and the communities which depend on it well for over 30 years. During this period, we have invested heavily in a programme of continuous improvement to the plant’s environmental performance and to its world-class levels of energy efficiency.
“Further step-change improvement requires a radical change in technology whilst maintaining our international competitiveness in the aluminium sector. We are convinced that our site is ideally suited to demonstrate our uniquely innovative approach to CCS, through the advantages of our coastal location, existing infrastructure and our requirement for a continuous supply of electricity.”
The primary focus throughout the world for CCS has been to date largely focused on power generation projects. The work in the North East includes pioneering work to develop a new area concerned with emissions from industrial process plants.
This development has recently been given a major boost by being included as a priority in the £60m Tees Valley Industrial Programme (TVIP), announced by Government and One North East in December. Extensive development work has been undertaken on the North East CCS cluster over a number of years, and the next phase of the project is being accelerated by this £60m programme.
The two-year TVIP will support the region’s industrial transition to low carbon and advanced manufacturing and will create an estimated 3,000 new jobs in the short to medium term and sustain over 10,000 jobs long term.
The prospectus is supported and endorsed by the Association of North East Councils (ANEC) and details how energy-intensive businesses in the Tees Valley provide a unique location for the demonstration of a CCS cluster, due to their close proximity to relevant infrastructure, and the region’s strong skills and expertise in this field. CCS has also been identified as a priority in the North East Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC) ten-point plan for future sustainability and competitiveness.
Peter Whitton, Managing Director of Progressive Energy, said “We set out to produce a CCS cluster for Teesside and the North East several years ago and have designed the network to handle CO2 from both power station and industrial sources.
“We have been working closely with One North East, the local councils and other stakeholders in developing the network and look forward to this exciting new phase of development which is being underpinned and accelerated by the support package that One North East and Government are providing”
Bob Coxon OBE, Chairman of the Science and Industry Council for North East England, who is overseeing the development of the ten point plan, said: “The ability of the North East to be at the forefront of Carbon Capture and Storage is a key part of our ten point plan for the future of our industry.
“This latest development is therefore very good news. Since we first announced the ten point plan we have made swift progress in many areas to deliver just what our industry needs for the future.”
The prospectus is launched following last week’s visit to the region by Energy Minister David Kidney MP. During his visit the Energy Minister met the world’s first Professorial Chair in CCS, which has been created by Durham University with substantial industrial support. He also saw ground breaking work which will enable the creation of new materials using captured CO2 and its use to enhance energy production.
Topics: 2010, Britain, carbon capture and storage, Carbon Capture and Storage Cluster, carbon emissions, ccs, Chemical and Process Industries, climate change, CO2, Department of Energy and Climate Change, energy, England, Global, Governance, government, Great Britain, green, job, moniter, monitor, news, North England, Rio Tinto Alcan power plant, technology, U.K., UK, United Kingdom
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