GE Energy is joining an Australian government-supported initiative to facilitate the development and deployment of carbon capture and storage projects worldwide. Under a memorandum of understanding signed by General Electric International and the Australian government, GE is becoming a founding member of the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute (GCCSI). GCCSI provides international policy and management oversight with a goal of delivering commercial-scale CCS plants around the world.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s government has pledged to provide up to $100 million per year to fund the institute.
Other members of the CCS Institute include other leading multi-national corporations.
According to the International Energy Agency, world energy demand is expected to grow by 45% between 2006 and 2030. Despite the rising importance of renewable energy, fossil fuels, especially coal, are expected to remain major sources for the world’s energy in the coming decades. For example, about 80% of Australia’s electricity currently comes from coal-fired power generation.
GE Energy’s IGCC gasification process converts coal and other heavy fuels into a high-value fuel, known as synthesis gas or syngas. The syngas is cleaned and then used in efficient combined-cycle systems to generate electricity. GE Energy has been at the forefront of IGCC technology since Cool Water, the first IGCC demonstration plant, which came online in Southern California in 1984. GE’s IGCC technology has been in commercial operation at the 250 megawatt (MW) TECO Polk I station in Florida for more than 12 years. More than 33 GE licensed industrial gasification facilities around the globe currently separate CO2.
Duke Energy is now proceeding with a 632 MW IGCC project at Edwardsport, Indiana; using GE Energy’s IGCC technology; it is expected to come on line in 2012.
Coal is critical to Australia—and the world’s—power supply, and it is a multi-billion dollar export that is important to Australia’s economy and the thousands of jobs it supports. The long-term viability of this industry depends on our ability to use our technology and know-how to reduce CO2 emissions in the process of generating electricity from coal,” said Steve Sargent, chief executive officer, GE Australia & New Zealand. “We applaud the Australian government’s commitment to work with industry to develop and implement solutions for reducing CO2 emissions. Forming the CCS Institute underscores Australia’s decision to take a leadership role in tackling the critical issues that threaten the long-term environmental health of our planet.”
“As a leader in IGCC technologies for power generation—a commercially proven technology that is well-suited for carbon capture—GE Energy heartily supports and plans to work to achieve the goals of the CCS Institute,” said Steve Bolze, vice president, Power & Water, GE Energy. “We recognize the urgent need for a global portfolio of commercial-scale CCS technology projects that can utilize coal, one of the world’s most abundant and available resources, to help meet both the growing demand for energy and increasing environmental regulations.”