Case study: ZeroGen
The Queensland State Government in Australia is working on a project to demonstrate that coal-fired power and low CO2 emissions can go hand in hand. If it goes ahead, the ZeroGen project would be the world's first demonstration plant to produce low-emission electricity by combining coal gasification with carbon capture and storage.
The plan is to turn the coal into a hydrogen-rich gas and high-pressure CO2. The gas would then be burned to drive a high-efficiency turbine to produce power. The CO2 would be piped approximately 220 km and stored away in underground aquifers. Shell is the preferred provider of the gasification technology and is currently providing drilling and CO2 storage expertise.
Up to 70% of the plant's CO2 emissions (up to approximately 420,000 tonnes annually) could be captured and stored. Commercial versions would have carbon emissions nearly 40% lower than those from a comparable sized gas-fired power plant.
At present, the owners of coal-fired power plants have no economic reason to make the extra investment in carbon capture and storage. If this promising technology is to be rolled out more widely, government support in establishing a price signal for emitting CO2 will be needed.
Related links
Zerogen - opens in a new window
