Foster Wheeler set to lead Don Valley CCS project in Yorkshire

The Don Valley Power Project will be built in Stainforth, South Yorkshire, and is expected to come into operation in 2016.

According to a statement, the planned 650MW Don Valley Project could provide low-carbon electricity to the equivalent of around a million UK homes, capturing at least 90 per cent of what would otherwise be its entire CO₂ output (up to a million tonnes a year).

Foster Wheeler’s appointment as project management consultant of the £3bn power plant is expected to run until the plant is in operation.

The initial role of Foster Wheeler will be to assist 2Co Power (Yorkshire) in the preparation of an engineering, procurement and construction contract for the project over the next six months.

Jonathan Biggs, managing director of 2Co Power (Yorkshire), said: ‘Foster Wheeler’s appointment will ensure we deliver this ground-breaking project on time to help create jobs, supply low-carbon electricity to the region and help the UK meet its ambitious energy security and national carbon-reduction commitments.’

Planning permission for the power plant has already been granted and main construction activities are expected to begin in 2013.

When built, the Don Valley Power Project will combine a coal gasification plant, with CO₂ capture on all of the plant, plus a conventional-style gas-fired power station fired by a hydrogen-rich fuel. The CCS project has already attracted an initial €180m (£151m) in EU funding. Its business model centres on the vast CO₂ storage and additional oil-recovery potential under the North Sea.