Lower CO2 electricity

Cleaner-burning natural gas and our patented coal gasification technology are helping our customers in the power generation sector lower their CO2 emissions. 

Cleaner-burning natural gas

We delivered more than 1.44 million boe of natural gas per day in 2006. That was more than 40% of our total upstream production. If all that gas were used to generate electricity, it would be enough to power approximately 180 million homes. Because natural gas contains less carbon than coal and can be turned more efficiently into power, a gas-fired power plant produces about half the CO2 emissions of a conventional coal-fired station. This is true even when extra energy is needed to liquefy the gas and transport it.

Visit www.shell.com/lng for more information about LNG.

Coal gasification

Coal is the world’s most abundant fossil fuel. Today it meets nearly 40% of total electricity demand and its use is expected to continue to grow. Shell companies do not produce coal, but we do have a patented technology for gasifying it. When used together with a combined-cycle power plant, our technology increases conversion efficiency. More electricity is produced from every tonne of coal, reducing CO2 emissions by up to 15% compared to the latest conventional coal-fired power plants.

Our coal gasification process produces relatively pure, high-pressure CO2 that is easier to capture and store. That is one of the reasons we are the preferred gasification technology partner for the ZeroGen project in Australia. Our gasification technology is also an important part of our Clean Coal Energy Alliance, formed in 2006 with Anglo American plc, one of the largest coal producers.

Please visit www.shell.com/coalgasification for more information about coal gasification.