Drax CCS wins FEED funding
9 Dec 2013
The firms behind a planned £2.2bn coal-fired plant fully equipped with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology were today awarded funding to carry out a Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) study.
The plant, known as White Rose CCS, is scheduled to be built on land adjacent to the existing Drax site in North Yorkshire. It is being developed by Capture Power, a consortium of Alstom, Drax and BOC.
Today’s award of FEED funding by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) will enable Capture Power to start a two-year programme of detailed engineering, planning and financial work to finalise and de-risk all aspects of the proposal ahead of taking the final investment decision on the project.
White Rose CCS has great potential to demonstrate oxyfuel combustion CCS technology
Capture Power general manager Leigh Hackett
Currently White Rose CCS is planned to be a 426MW coal-fired plant with the added ability to co-fire sustainable biomass. Fully equipped with CCS technology from the outset, 90% of all the CO2 produced by the plant will be captured and transported by pipeline for permanent storage deep beneath the North Sea seabed.
“We are delighted that our project has been awarded a FEED contract under the CCS Commercialisation Programme,” said Capture Power general manager Leigh Hackett.
“The White Rose CCS project has great potential to demonstrate oxyfuel combustion CCS technology which will benefit other projects in the UK and overseas. It also highlights the strategic strength of the Yorkshire and Humber region as a hub for CCS, driving the formation of a cluster for CO2 transportation and storage.”
In addition to the White Rose CCS announcement, Drax today also began using the new storage, delivery and distribution systems for the first of its 600MW biomass units.
As reported by Process Engineering in the summer, the unit had been running at half capacity due to the lack of biomass storage and poor delivery mechanisms.
The control and automation systems for both the biomass storage domes and the biomass boiler distribution system were delivered by EPC contractor Shepherd Engineering Services via its subcontractor Capula, using Schneider software.
The 600MW unit is the first of three of Drax’s six coal-fired facilities to be converted to biomass (see box below).
• PROJECT: DRAX BIOMASS CONVERSION
• COST: £700 MILLION
• LOCATION: NORTH YORKSHIRE
• OWNER: DRAX OPERATIONAL: 2013-2016
The UK’s largest coal-fired power station is in the process of converting three of its six 645MW coal-fired units into biomass-burning facilities. The first unit began operating in April this year and has so far reached a power output of 585MW. The unit is expected to reach a total capacity of 600MW once the current process of building new delivery, storage and distribution systems for the biomass feedstock is completed at the end of this year. EPC contractor Shepherd Engineering Services has hired Capula to deliver the control and automation systems for both the biomass storage domes and the biomass boiler distribution system. Capula intends to use Schneider products for both control systems. Work also continues on the conversion of Drax’s second 600MW biomass unit, which is due to be operational in the second quarter of 2014. The third unit is scheduled for operation in 2016. The firm’s capital expenditure on the three units is expected to be in the range £650 million to £700 million, of which around a half will be for on site infrastructure and boiler modifications, and the remainder on upstream US investments in two pellet plants and a port facility, and technology to ensure Drax Power Station is fully compliant with the Industrial Emissions Directive.
