Facts:

US utility company Tenaska's Trailblazer project aims to build a new supercritical pulverized coal power plant in Nolan County, Texas, which will incorporate a commercial-scale post-combustion CO2 capture plant.

The facility will be designed to capture between 85% and 90% of emissions, from a project generating 760MW of power. This would equate to approximately 5.2 million tonnes per annum of CO2, with start-up scheduled for 2016.

Tenaska hopes to supply enough CO2 for sale to enhanced oil recovery projects that would produce an additional 1 billion barrels of oil for the Texas economy. The Permian basin off Texas has many mature oilfields which would benefit from EOR. This project would also provide much-needed employment for the area.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $3.5 billion. Tenaska hopes to obtain state and federal incentives for the CCS elements of the Trailbalzer project.

The CO2 capture technology is to be provided by Fluor Enterprises’ Econamine FG PlusSM technology. The project is being developed by Tenaska, and is owned by Tenaska Trailblazer Partners - 65% by affiliates of Tenaska and 35% by Arch Coal, the US’ second largest coal producer. 

If built, Trailblazer could be the world’s largest CO2 capture plant, capturing 16,423 tonnes per day of CO2 using two trains. The dual train approach is a unique design feature of the facility.

Timing

The final FEED study for the project was completed and announced in January 2012. Fluor was selected as the EPC contractor in July 2011 under an MoU but the EPC contract is not yet completed. Tenaska has obtained the final air permit from the Illinois Environmetal Protection Agency and, in 2011, moved into concept design phase and an analysis of whether CCS was economically viable. The partners have expressed concern over US government support for CCS and are therefore proceeding slowly until the signals improve.

A full update on the project, the FEED study submitted to GCCSI in February 2012, can be downloaded here.

Finance

The project partners have provided development funding, and the Global CCS Institute has pledged AU$8.03 million in support of engineering and design studies. A robust EOR market for the captured CO2 is considered essential to the project’s success.

Other information

Tenaska is one of several projects supported by the Global CCS Institute:

http://www.reporternews.com/news/2010/oct/12/

http://www.globalccsinstitute.com/resources/projects/

http://www.globalccsinstitute.com/resources/projects/

 

http://www.globalccsinstitute.com/resources/projects/

 

http://www.globalccsinstitute.com/resources/projects/

 

http://www.globalccsinstitute.com/resources/projects/

 

Companies involved

Homepage:

http://www.tenaskatrailblazer.com/