Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technology isn’t new and it’s been much maligned and overlooked. Yet Daniel Hofmann of Siemens Energy says that is changing. He explains why, and also makes the case for CCUS as an essential ‘no regrets’ technology to achieve climate change targets and to future-proof power plants.
Teesside was once home to the world’s first steam-powered public railway and the industrial heartland of the UK, with iron, steel and chemical manufacturing dating back to the early 1800s.
Two-hundred years on from its industrial birth, this region in the northeast of England will soon be at the forefront of the green industrial revolution.
It will be the location of a new ground-breaking project that can be considered a lighthouse for modern power plants with carbon capture.
Net Zero Teesside Power (NZT Power) is a first-of-its-kind commercial-scale gas-fired power station consisting of an 860MW combined-cycle power plant, with an H-class gas turbine, integrated with carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS).
The plant will sit within the East Coast Cluster, a collection of industrial, power and hydrogen businesses across Teesside and the Humber which also aim to decarbonize their operations with CCUS.
The project was greenlit by the UK government in March 2023 and a final investment decision is expected in 2024.
What is CCUS?
CCUS refers to a suite of technologies that can capture the CO2 of large point sources. In simple terms, it’s a three-step process: carbon dioxide is produced by power generation or industrial activity is captured; if not being used on site, it’s transported through a pipe network or across land; and finally, it is stored deep underground.
What it is not, is new.
Some facilities have been operating CCUS since the 1970s and 1980s and, today, the technology currently captures 45Mt CO2 annually globally.
Heidi Vella 