Alstom, Drax and BOC welcome Carbon Capture and Storage competition

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Alstom, Drax and BOC welcome the Government's announcement of the launch of the new UK Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) competition, and will be bidding for funds through the competition to support the consortiums proposed CCS project under development on the Drax site.

The consortium has formed a project company, Capture Power Limited (Capture Power), and named the CCS demonstration project the White Rose CCS Project after the county symbol of Yorkshire, where the project is based.

The project will help drive the formation of a CCS cluster for CO2 transportation and storage as an anchor project, as well as helping develop the promising Oxyfuel CCS technology for other projects in the UK and abroad.

The Humber region offers huge potential to link together carbon-intensive industrial and power plants via a shared pipeline infrastructure, to be provided by National Grid, out into the North Sea, which offers an ideal location to store the regions CO2 emissions.

Capture Power has also had talks with 2Co Energy, the developer of the Don Valley CCS project near Doncaster, and National Grid. All have agreed to work together to promote a joint vision for a CCS cluster via National Grids Humber Gateway, which is also being promoted by CO2Sense.

Steve Burgin, President of Alstom UK said: The White Rose CCS Project is a core part of the Humber Gateway development. Alstom is proud to be bringing its experience in carbon capture technologies to help Britain take a leadership position in the decarbonisation of fossil fuels.
Peter Emery, Production Director of Drax said: The Yorkshire and Humber region has the potential to be a true leader in the field of CCS. It is the best placed region in the UK to demonstrate this important technology with its concentration of carbon intensive processes and access to a range of storage options in the North Sea. Drax is pleased to be a part of this exciting venture.

Mike Huggon, Managing Director of BOC said: The commercialisation of CCS as a key clean energy technology is only just starting and the White Rose CCS Project will play an key role in helping the UK meet its carbon reduction targets. BOC is delighted to be part of this project at such an important time for the energy industry.

The White Rose CCS Project will burn coal with the potential to co-fire sustainable biomass and be fully equipped with CCS technology from the outset. The 426MW (gross) power plant will be located on land adjacent to Draxs existing power station, near Selby, North Yorkshire.
The plant will generate enough electricity to supply the equivalent needs of over 630,000 homes with 90% of all the CO2 produced by the plant being captured and transported by pipeline for permanent storage deep beneath the North Sea seabed.

Media Contacts
Helen Connolly (Alstom UK)
Tel: +44 (0)7801776884

Melanie Wedgbury (Drax)
Tel: +44 (0)1757 612933

Susan Tyzack (BOC)
Tel: +44 (0)1483 244224

Notes to editors

1. Details of the White Rose CCS Project can be found at a new website: www.whiteroseccs.co.uk

2. Alstom, Drax and BOC are the project co-developers. The three partners have formed a new company called Capture Power Limited that will be responsible for the development, implementation and operation of the new plant. As a part of this cooperation, Alstom will have responsibility for construction and Drax for operation and maintenance of the power plant including the CO2 capture facilities. BOC will have responsibility for construction, and operation and maintenance of the air separation unit that provides oxygen for the operation of the Oxyfuel capture plant.

3. In a separate, but parallel, project National Grid will construct and operate the CO2 transport pipelines and, with partners, the permanent CO2 undersea storage facilities in the North Sea.

4. In addition to participating in the UK CCS funding competition, the project is also seeking funding from the European NER 300 programme and will be dependent on a successful outcome of these funding processes as well as a successful outcome of negotiations with the Government to establish appropriate market mechanisms to incentivise low-carbon technologies and provide support to the project.

5. At a national level the White Rose CCS Project will contribute to a range of potential benefits:

Demonstrating Oxyfuel CCS technology as a cost effective and viable low-carbon technology.
Reducing CO2 emissions in order to meet future environmental legislation and combat climate change.
Improving the UKs security of electricity supply by providing a new, flexible and reliable coal-based, low-carbon electricity generation option.
Generating enough low-carbon electricity to supply the energy needs of the equivalent of over 630,000 households.
Acting as an anchor project for the development of a CO2 transportation and storage network in the UKs most energy intensive region thereby facilitating decarbonisation and attracting new investment.

6. Local benefits of the proposal include:

An expected average of 1,250 new construction jobs over the three-year plant development period at the Drax site.
At least 60 operational jobs at the new plant as well as additional indirect supply and maintenance posts.
Increased turnover for local businesses during the construction and operational periods.