The studies will also include an evaluation of potential CO2 storage sites for the power plant, as well as an evaluation of required investments for future CO2 transport and storage. The offer is designed to facilitate the future conversion of power plants to CCS and the securing of environmental permits as well as optimising time-to-market periods and associated costs.
Andreas Lusch, senior vice president, Alstom Power Thermal Systems, said: “Our customers are increasingly demanding full support, from the flue gas outlet to the downhole, to ensure that their new power plants are CCS ready. Assessing this readiness will be a mandatory requirement for all new large fossil-fuelled power plants in Europe by 2011.
“Similarly, the State of Queensland in Australia recently announced that the new coal fired power stations will not be approved in the state unless they are CCS ready.”
The first wave of large-scale CCS demonstration projects, such as AEP’s Mountaineer in the US or Vattenfall’s Schwarze Pumpe in Germany, also requires an integrated approach along the value chain. This agreement is designed to offer this type of service, both for new and existing power plants.
John Tombari, vice president of Schlumberger Carbon Services, said: “We see tremendous added value for our customers in this joint offering, including optimised project sequence and technical and economic fine-tuning of the entire capture, transport and storage chain.”
