Getica CCS Demo Project
Brief description:
Facts:
The Getica full-chain CCS project, led by the Romanian Government, will become the first such initiative in south-east Europe. The country's Institute of Energy Projects and Studies and the Global CCS Institute published the project feasibility study in January 2012, and announced in May that a project funding decision would be made in late 2012.
The CO2 capture plant will be built at the Turceni pulverised lignite-fuelled power plant in Gorj County in the South West Development Region of the country. Turceni is one of Romania's key electricity suppliers.
The capture facility will be retrofitted to Unit 6 of the power plant and will treat an equivalent flue gases flow of 250MWe of energy output. When fully operational, the plant will have a CO2 capture rate of more than 85% from the flue gases flow. The CCS system will capture around 1.5 million tonnes per annum of CO2, which will be transported using (where possible) existing onshore natural gas pipelines and stored underground in onshore saline aquifers within a 50km radius of the power plant.
The project is run on behalf of a new entity, with the Romanian state as majority shareholder, set up for the purpose by three existing companies - utility CE Turceni, SNTGN Transgaz, a natural gas transportation company and SNGN Romgaz SA, a natural gas extraction/storage company.
The project is considering using Alstom's Chilled Ammonia Process (CAP) or Advanced Amine Process post-combustion CO2 capture technology, identified as the most economically feasible.
Timing
The Getica project’s planned start-up of operation is December 2015. The feasibility study phase has been completed and the project is working towards the FEED and appraisal phases.
The existing plant has in place permits that allow the use of ammonia, which will aid progress of the capture plant. However, the project has identified the need to improve the existing regulatory framework to allow the project to reach its construction and operational phases.
Finance
The project has received support from the Global CCS Institute, which has granted AU$2.55 million towards the feasibility study, now completed. Read the full report here. A funding decision is due in late 2012, according to media reports.
On 9 May 2011, the project was submitted to the EU's NER300 fund by the Romanian Government. Read ZERO news article. The project reached the reserves shortlist but not the final stage.
In 2014 the project was put on hold as the sponsors were seeking funds for the FEED phase.
Storage:
Data from the region suggests the potential for CO2 storage in a deep saline aquifer and also for use in EOR projects. The underground pipeline route and the proposed onshore saline aquifer storage site are situated in the South West Development Region, within a 50-mile radius of Turceni power plant. As the Getica project is a demonstration, it will attempt to test the relevant technological solution for storage on a demonstration scale.