COORETEC

Brief description:

The BMWi is supporting the development of capture technologies with the research and development concept COORETEC, which aims to reduce the emissions of fossil fired power plants to near zero. COORETEC (CO2 Reduction Technologies for Fossil Fuelled Power Plans) was initiated in 2002 due to the high demand for new investments in power plants in Germany. The concept rests on the two pillars of efficiency increase and avoidance of CO2 emissions and intends to create the basis for satisfying at the highest possible technical level standards for new and replacement plants in the power generation sector foreseeable after the year 2010. In 2007 COORETEC launched additionally the “Lighthouse Concept”. The technological objectives of the lighthouse concept are to sink costs involved in CO2 capture and storage from current rates of € 50 -70 per ton of CO2 to below €20 in the future, while simultaneously reducing efficiency losses from 9 -13 percentage points today to 6 – 11 percentage points in the future. Consequently, five technologies related working groups have been created in the covering natural gas combined cycle, steam cycle power plants, IGCC with carbon capture, Oxyfuel and storage. The research projects are in general collaborative projects between research institutions and industry. The level of funding varies with the projects, and whilst industry can receive coverage of up to 50 % of their costs, academia will be funded with 100 %. In 2007, CCS research projects on capture technologies were funded with approximately € 26 million, 2008 approximately € 30 million and a funding of € 35 million annually is envisaged for 2010.