UK carbon capture and storage moves on with FEED contract

The FEED (front end engineering and design) contract includes the planned development of a carbon dioxide (CO₂) transportation and storage solution – the Yorkshire Humber CCS Trunkline – to be undertaken by National Grid Carbon.

The FEED study is a two year programme of detailed engineering, planning and financial work to finalise and de-risk all aspects of the proposal ahead of taking the final investment decision, and proceeding to financial close and the commencement of construction.

During FEED, Capture Power - a consortium of Alstom, Drax and BOC - plus National Grid Carbon will continue to work with the Department of Energy and Climate Change with a view to concluding a Project Contract for the construction and operation of the CCS project.

In a statement, Leigh Hackett, general manager, Capture Power, said: ’The White Rose CCS Project has great potential to demonstrate oxyfuel combustion CCS technology which will benefit other projects in the UK and overseas.’

Located on land adjacent to the existing Drax Power Station, near Selby in North Yorkshire, the proposed 426MW CCS power plant will burn coal with the added ability to co-fire biomass.

Fully equipped with CCS technology from the outset, 90 per cent of all the CO₂ produced by the plant will be captured and transported by pipeline for permanent storage deep beneath the North Sea seabed.

In related news, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey has opened Drax power station’s coal-to-biomass conversion plant. The biomass conversion will see three of the six generating units at the power station converted to burn biomass in place of coal.

The first unit has been running on biomass since the beginning of April, with the second planned for next year and the third in 2016.

Drax calculates that burning wood pellets rather than coal will reduce carbon emissions by 80 per cent.