Vattenfall cuts funding for CCS R&D

Swedish energy company, Vattenfall, has cut its carbon capture and storage R&D activities as part of wider realignment of its R&D priorities but will continue R&D into using coal to smooth the variation in power supply from wind turbines.

“Tough market conditions are expected to continue for another few years,” said Karl Bergman, head of R&D Nordic at Vattenfall. “We are restructuring our R&D operations, as it is becoming increasingly important to have the right knowledge at the right time to meet the ever-changing needs of the business.”

Vattenfall has 11.3 GW of coal-fired power plants in Germany, Denmark and the Neterlands, making it one of the largest operators of coal-fired plants in Europe. It had been a key partner in the Schwarze Pumpe CCS project in Germany, a 30 MW lignite-fired pilot plant capturing 75,000 tpa of CO2. The future of this project is now in doubt.

The company said it would continue its involvement in CCS through knowledge exchange, citing its recent agreement with Canadian utility, SaskPower, as an example. The agreement will “explore common interests concerning CCS opportunities”, the companies said in a press release. This could include mutual support for the development of CCS projects through technical exchange; informing and guiding the overall development of CCS infrastructure; and sharing CCS developments relating to health, safety and the environment.

SaskPower recently announced the completion of the CCS project at its Boundary Dam power plant, the first commercial-scale CCS project in the world. 

Edited from various sources by Jonathan Rowland

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/power/08052014/vattenfall_cuts_funding_for_ccs_research_coal820/