Facts:

In Mai 2008, Vattenfall announced its plans to build a demonstration plant for CCS technologies at one of the 500 MW blocks of the conventional lignite power plant Jänschwalde in the State of Brandenburg, Germany. The investment for the demonstration is estimated to be € 1 billion. The Jänschwalde lignite power plant consists of six 500 MW blocks. For the demonstration plant one of the blocks, consisting of two boilers, will be equipped with carbon separation technologies. One boiler will be newly built with an oxy-fuel technology; the other will be retrofitted with a post-combustion technology.

Whilst the oxyfuel technology used in the boiler is identical to the one used in the pilot plant “Schwarze Pumpe”, the post combustion technology will be based on a chilled ammonia process.

To compensate the loss of efficiency of approximately 10% in the generation process, incurred by the installation of additional components, Vattenfall is developing methods for increasing efficiency by using higher temperatures and pre drying of lignite as well as operational excellence. The demonstration plant will produce 300 MW.

The project has a very ambitious time schedule. In February 2008, a feasibility study was undertaken. Permits are expected to be issued 2009, ground breaking is scheduled 2010/2011 and the start of operation is planned 2015.

Vattenfall has furthermore announced its cooperation with Gaz de France Production and Exploration GmbH for storing the captured CO2 from Schwarze Pumpe and Jänschwalde in the gas field in the Altmark. Initially the separated and liquefied CO2 produced should have been transported by truck, later by pipeline to the gas field.

For both projects of Vattenfall uncertainties however exist regarding the storage of the separated CO2. Not only is the national legal framework not expected to be in place before end of 2009, and hence permission procedures are stalling, but in Saxony Anhalt resistance is emerging on a state level. The government of Saxony Anhalt is currently considering whether it will import CO2 from other Bundesländer or instead binds the storage permission to a new power plant project, located in Saxony Anhalt. Vattenfall is therefore considering alternative options, including alternative countries such as Poland for the location of their demonstration plant as well as alternative storage sites in Germany.

In this context Vattenfall has announced that it will investigate storage sites in Brandenburg. Together with VNG Gas AG and Schlumberger Carbon Services, Vattenfall has initiated exploration of two different possible storages sites in Brandenburg, the 556 km2 area at Beeskow and a 300 km2 area in Neutrebbin. The sedimentary rocks in the North German Basin were already screened between 2004 and 2008 and both structures Birkholz Beeskow and Neutribbin were promising in terms of capacity, injectivity and storage integrity. The storage capacity of the two structures is estimated to be more than 100 million tons. The exploration program to screen the structures will begin in 2009, if permission will be granted, and end in 2011 and will be implemented in three phases: seismic studies, exploration drilling and simulation of the flow properties within the sediment strata in a test program. If the exploration is successful, the storage sites will be developed.

The connection system between the injection drill hole and the transport pipeline will be implemented in the period 2011 to 2015. This will be followed by transport via a gas pipeline from the demonstration plant in Jänschwalde to the storage site. The pipeline of 150 km length will be built with a distribution system but no pressure boosting system.

Timing:

Announced May 2008. Feasability studies (2008); Application for permits (2009); Construction (2011); Full scale operation (2015).

Other Sources and Press Release:

Vattenfall focuses effort on Janshwalde (September 2009)
Power Engineering news release (May 2008)
Carbon Capture Journal report (May 2008)
Vattenfall's presentation at European Energy Forum [PDF] (October 2008)

News about Jänschwalde