Low emissions coal technologies
Coal extraction is one of New South Wales most significant industries. Not only does coal contribute valuable dollars and jobs to the NSW economy, it also provides 90% of the electricity in NSW.
What are low emissions coal technologies?
Low emissions coal technologies (also sometimes referred to as ‘clean coal technologies’) is the term used to describe technologies designed to enhance the efficiency and reduce the environmental impacts of coal extraction, preparation and use.
Why invest in these technologies?
Coal contributes about 24 % of global primary energy demand, second only to oil (35%) and is used to produce 39% of the world’s electricity. Coal is also the key requirement for two other building blocks of modern society – the production of steel and cement.
Burning coal to produce electricity is recognised as a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. NSW’s coal fired power stations account for about 60 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
The NSW Government is committed to reaching an interim target of Year 2000 greenhouse gas emission levels by 2025, with a long term target of a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Employing low emission coal technologies in NSW will be a key factor in achieving this target.
While increasing the combustion efficiency of coal would help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significant reductions in CO2 emissions from coal fired power stations can only be achieved by capturing carbon emissions before or after the coal is burnt, then safely storing it. This is known as carbon capture and storage (CCS). Assessing potential sites for the safe storage of CO2 in NSW is a priority for the NSW Department of Primary Industries.
How would CCS work in NSW?
Carbon dioxide (CO2) could be captured from large point sources such as fossil fuel power plants and be stored, instead of being released into the atmosphere as occurs in most plants today. When applied to a modern conventional power plant, the International Energy Agency has estimated that this could reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere by more than 85%.
The most promising method of storing CO2 captured from coal-fired power stations is geosequestration. Captured carbon dioxide is compressed into a supercritical state (so it performs like a liquid) and then is pumped into geological formations such as deep saline formations, depleted oil and gas fields, unmineable coal seams or in deep ocean masses.
What is the NSW State Government doing?
The NSW Government has committed $22 million to two clean coal projects. The first is a $5 million pilot carbon capture plant on the state’s Central Coast, through a joint initiative by Delta Electricity and the CSIRO. The research scale Post Combustion Capture (PCC) pilot facility will capture greenhouse gas emissions from the Munmorah Power Station using ammonia absorption technology. The PCC pilot facility will host a range of experimental trials to determine the potential to adapt the technology to NSW coal power station conditions, capturing up to 5,000 tonnes of CO2 a year.
Most importantly, the technology under investigation could be applied to already operational power stations.
In addition, the Government has committed funds to work being undertaken by NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) to locate geosequestration sites which could also provide the site for a demonstration scale carbon capture and storage project in NSW. It is expected that this will capture more than 50,000 tonnes of CO2 each year in NSW beginning in around 2013.
NSW DPI is also a participant in the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC), one of the world’s leading collaborative research organisations focused on geosequestration technologies. This CRC has more than 100 scientists working to develop safe and economic carbon dioxide capture and storage technologies. The CO2CRC is a joint venture of industry, government, universities and research bodies from Australia and overseas.