Nov xx (Reuters) - American Electric Power AEP.N has partnered with engineering company Alstom ALSO.PA on a project aimed at demonstrating technology that captures and stores carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants.
Such technology is essential to the survival of the coal industry under any stringent climate regime that caps greenhouse gas emissions.
Coal is the world’s single biggest source of carbon emissions, accounting for 40 percent.
Below are some details on the AEP’s carbon capture and storage project:
*AEP’s demonstration project is located at its Mountaineer coal-fired power plant in West Virginia.
*The project diverts flue gas from the plant’s smokestack to a 20,000 square foot (1,858 sq metres) structure where the carbon dioxide is trapped using a chilled ammonia solution.
*Once separated from the other gases, the carbon is compressed into a liquid-like state and transported through about 1,300 feet (400 metres) of pipeline to two separate sites at the plant.
*The carbon is then injected into saline reservoirs about 8,000 feet (2,440 metres) underground.
*The test project captures about 2 percent of carbon emissions from the plant, most of the output from about 20 megawatts of generating capacity.
*The project began fully operating in early October and will cost AEP about $73 million.
*If successful, AEP hopes to install a 235-megawatt commercial scale carbon capture and storage project at the same plant. The scaled-up project will cost about $670 million. (Reporting by Ayesha Rascoe, Editing by Eric Walsh)
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