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UPDATED 1 Sept: The EI library in London is temporarily closed to the public, as a precautionary measure in light of the ongoing COVID-19 situation. The Knowledge Service will still be answering email queries via email , or via live chats during working hours (09:15-17:00 GMT). Our e-library is always open for members here: eLibrary , for full-text access to over 200 e-books and millions of articles. Thank you for your patience.
White Rose CCS project wins study funding while Drax moves to biomass
Britain’s largest coal-fired power station – Drax in Yorkshire – is set to become one of Europe’s biggest renewable electricity generators, with the potential for new generation capacity on the site to be based on clean coal. Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey opened the Drax coal-to-biomass conversion plant in December, and announced that the government was awarding funding to further the White Rose carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, also based at the site.
The £700mn planned conversion project will burn wood pellets rather than coal and Drax calculates that this will reduce carbon emissions by 80%. The facilities opened in December will provide enough low carbon power to the equivalent of around 1mn homes.
Meanwhile, the UK remains well-placed to take a lead in CCS commercialisation following the awarding of funding for a front end engineering design (FEED) study for the White Rose CCS Project at Drax, according to the UK CCS Research Centre (UKCCSRC). Government funding commitments for CCS capitalise on the UK’s strong research and development base on CCS, and on its geological capacity for storing carbon dioxide, says the Centre.
The two-year FEED study will include the planned development of a carbon dioxide transportation and storage solution – the Yorkshire-Humber CCS Trunkline – as well as the proposed new power plant. The study aims to de-risk aspects of the project, a £2bn clean coal power plant with full CCS, before a final investment decision is made on construction.
White Rose is the first project to be allocated funds under Government’s £1bn CCS Commercialisation Programme. Located on land adjacent to the existing Drax Power Station near Selby, North Yorkshire, the proposed 426 MW power plant will burn coal, with the option to co-fire biomass. Some 90% of the carbon dioxide produced would be captured and piped to permanent storage beneath the North Sea.
Previously, the government announced plans to complete feasibility works and identify options to take forward an industrial CCS network through the £10mn Tees Valley City Deal.
Davey said: ‘Our coal industry has powered Britain for more than a century, and today we’re seeing a clear roadmap for its future – whether by converting existing coal plants to cleaner fuels, or building state-of-the-art power stations that mean coal is truly clean.’
News Item details
Journal title: Energy World
Subjects: Banking, finance and investment, Policy and Governance, Biomass, Power stations, Coal fired power stations, Biomass, Engineering design, Land use, Funding, Carbon emissions, Carbon dioxide
