Drax CCS clears planning hurdle
23 Dec 2014
The companies behind a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project at Drax power station today announced that the Planning Inspectorate had accepted their application to develop the project.
Capture Power, a consortium of Alstom, Drax and BOC, confirmed that that its Development Consent Order (DCO) application for the White Rose CCS project had been accepted for examination by the government planning body.
An independent planning inspector will now consider the merits of the project before making a recommendation to Energy and Climate Change secretary Ed Davey, who will make the final decision about whether the project is granted Development Consent.
The White Rose CCS project has great potential to demonstrate oxy-fuel combustion CCS technology
Capture Power chief executive Leigh Hackett
On being granted Development Consent, subject to funding being agreed, Capture Power’s intention is to develop a 448MW coal-fired demonstration oxy-fuel power plant with full CCS equipment.
The project would be located on land adjacent to the existing Drax power station, near Selby, North Yorkshire.
Capture Power chief executive Leigh Hackett said submission of the DCO was a key milestone for the Project, which is now halfway through its two-year Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) study.
“Much work has already been undertaken to get us this far, including an extensive consultation exercise with the local community and a technical consultation on issues such as visual impact, ecology, noise, traffic and air quality,” added Hackett.
“We are now half way through the FEED study which is progressing well and is on schedule to complete around the end of 2015. The White Rose CCS project has great potential to demonstrate oxy-fuel combustion CCS technology and kick start the development of a CCS hub in the Yorkshire and Humber region.”
Today’s announcement followed the news last week that National Grid had awarded a FEED contract to Applied Drilling Technology International (ADTI) for the design of the wells in the North Sea seabed that will be used to store the CO2 captured by the White Rose project .
