Going underground

Essent Business Development and Shell Gas and Power Developments are to study the possibility of developing a 1,000MW power plant that would capture and store underground most of the CO₂ that it produces.

To do so, Essent and Shell will assess the feasibility of combining a high-efficiency gasifier, a power generation plant and equipment to capture and store the CO₂.

At the plant, coal and solid biomass would be gasified to produce synthesis gas, which in turn would be used to make hydrogen, which would then be used as a fuel to drive turbines, creating electricity.

The two companies claim that the gasification technique makes it simpler and cheaper to capture CO₂ than conventional coal and biomass firing.

The study will assess which depleted oil and gas fields would be suitable for CO₂ storage.

Because of the volume of CO₂ involved, they will consider both onshore and offshore fields.

The companies are evaluating possible sites for the plant in the south-west part of the Netherlands.