In an Australian first, NSW Mineral Resources Minister Ian Macdonald will today commission the Lake Munmorah Pilot Carbon Capture plant, a research facility designed to capture about 3000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year from the nearby power station.

Minister Macdonald said it is the first time the technology, developed on the State’s Central Coast by Delta Electricity and the CSIRO, will be seen in action in Australia.

"This $5 million Post Combustion Capture pilot facility will capture greenhouse gas emissions from the Munmorah Power Station using ammonia absorption technology," Mr Macdonald said.

"This research scale pilot plant is designed to capture up to 3000 tonnes a year of carbon dioxide from the power station.

"A key benefit of this technology is that it can be used on new or existing power stations.

"With the Garnaut Report expected out later today, there is no better time to commission this facility."

Minister Macdonald said while the State Government strongly backed renewable energy sources, it also realised that active support for clean coal technologies, to complement renewable energy plans, was needed if we are to achieve significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.

"It is hoped this pilot project will provide the foundation for a large scale $150m post combustion capture and storage demonstration project in NSW planned for operation by 2013, capturing up to 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year," he said.

"This environmentally responsible Munmorah pilot plant is a first step in the process which will allow NSW to make further deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from electricity, while providing reliable base load supply to hardworking NSW families and businesses for the next three decades."

The NSW $100 million Clean Coal Fund, which is now in effect following the passing of the Clean Coal Administration Bill 2008 last week, will allow the funding of further research into clean coal technologies. 

"The Iemma Government is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in NSW, while continuing to maintain a strong and sustainable mining sector," Minister Macdonald said.

"The recent Owen Inquiry noted the need for coal-fired power to meet the State’s base-load energy requirements beyond 2013 that is why clean coal technology is so important - we need to make our energy sources as clean and green as possible."

A range of capture technologies are under development internationally, although none are currently commercially available for coal fired generation.

"Although the greenhouse emission rate from coal fired generation technology is improving, to achieve deep emission cuts capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide emissions is necessary," Mr Macdonald said.

Further reading

Post-combustion capture of CO2 emissions from power stations (CSIRO)

Media contact: Jason Bartlett, 0438 209 281