IEAGHG Executive Committee meeting - Visits to Petra Nova and NET Power facilities

During our IEAGHG Executive Committee meeting, we were lucky to visit those two CCS projects, Petra Nova and NET Power. Since my last visit in June 2019 (see https://ieaghg.org/ccs-resources/blog/cct2019-a-great-opportunity-to-know-more-about-the-status-of-ccs-in-coal-power-plants-1), those projects are still advancing and opening new perspectives on CO₂ capture projects and future CCS business models.

Firstly, we visited the NET Power facilities, where we were able to listen to Adam Goff and Scott Martin (8 Rivers). At this stage, the testing campaign showed that the core cycle is proven and operational, the combustion successfully completed testing, the balance of the plant is proven, and a turbine 2.5 times bigger is on the way. The full-scale project is expected for 2022. In the meantime, multiple large projects are under consideration (303MW). As seen in June, the economic analysis is promising. Currently, the 45Q scheme is supporting the testing stage, obtaining a cost of 19$/MWh. Moreover, the project would be economically feasible in a future scenario without the 45Q (34$/MWh). That makes NET Power plants competitive with electricity plants alone. As in any FOAK (first of a kind) project, initially, there is a higher investment in the ASU (air separation unit), which is expected to be reduced in future projects (NOAK, Nth of a kind).

After NET Power, the IEAGHG attendees visited the Petra Nova facilities, guided by Greg Kennedy. Petra Nova is the largest carbon capture facility, based on chemical absorption with KS-1 solvent, and with investment of CO₂ for EOR (Enhanced Oil Recovery). Compared to its progress in June, now the facility as achieved 3.5 Mt of CO₂ captured, which sets up and additional prove of the technical viability of carbon capture systems.

I would like to thank both projects for letting us visit their facilities and explaining in detail their technologies. CCS is needed to fulfil the international agreements for the decarbonisation of the power and industrial sectors. Those demonstration projects are the first step towards the increase on the deployment of CCS worldwide.

I am looking forward to knowing more about the advances on their testing campaigns and the future projects to come. In the meantime, keep an eye on the GHGT-15 website, where we will publish the technical programme in the coming months. Demonstration projects will be one of the main topics.