The project proposal, which will provide a template for clean energy generation in the UK, is being put forward by B9 Coal for the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s (DECC) CCS demonstration competition.
Alcan’s Lynemouth Plant of Rio Tinto in Northumberland has been chosen as a potential site for the plant.
The proposal has full support from the North East Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC) and environmental project facilitators, Renew.
AFC Energy CEO Ian Balchin said that the project provides the UK with an opportunity for enhanced energy security whilst meeting green energy demand from domestic coal reserves.
The project will showcase a combination of keystone technologies, which includes underground coal gasification (UCG) and AFC Energy’s low cost alkaline fuels cells.
Syngas is produced by UCG which is then passed through a clean-up process resulting in separate streams of hydrogen and carbon dioxide.
Upwards of 90% of the carbon dioxide can then be captured as a by-product.
The pure hydrogen is passed through the fuel cell, converting to electricity at 60% efficiency at a projected cost as low as 4 pence per kWh.
