GE, Bechtel in polygeneration, CO2 recovery project

Atlanta/Houston  – GE Energy and Bechtel Overseas Power Corp. are to jointly develop a polygeneration facility in Canada, with the ability to use petroleum coke and incorporate carbon capture and storage. The project is under an agreement with TransCanada Corp. of Calgary, the companies announced 9 Oct.

Located in Belle Plaine, Saskatchewan, the facility is expected to use petroleum coke as feedstock to produce hydrogen, nitrogen, steam and carbon dioxide for fertilizer production and enhanced oil recovery (EOR), and to generate approximately 300 megawatts of long-term electricity.

The project plans to sequester over five million tonnes/year of carbon dioxide to increase local oil production, while the gasification would allow the project owners to use a byproduct of the refining industry for fuel, instead of natural gas.

According to GE Energy, the facility would use its gasification and flexible-fuel technology to generate power and support local industrial processes. GE’s scope of supply is the gasification island and the power island equipment, which includes two GE Frame 7FB gas turbines designed to run on syngas with a high hydrogen content.

GE and Bechtel have already completed the first preliminary engineering step, with the next engineering work scheduled for early 2008 followed by the detailed engineering design (FEED) phase - if this work indicates that the project is feasible. The planned facility would then come on-stream in 2013.

 “GE’s gasification technology has the capability to capture carbon for use in processes such as EOR, which will help Saskatchewan meet its greenhouse gas targets,” said John Lavelle, general manager of GE Energy’s gasification business.

Amos Avidan, senior vice president and manager of Gasification Operations for Bechtel, added:  “We see a growing interest in polygeneration projects that will convert coal and petroleum coke to a variety of useful products, including hydrogen, chemicals and fuels, while capturing CO2 for use in enhanced oil recovery and other applications.”