Tamar Hallerman
GHG Monitor
10/12/12
A handful of post-combustion carbon capture technology providers—including Siemens and Hitachi—are currently vying for a future slot at Norway’s massive carbon capture test facility. The Norwegian government and industry partners Statoil, Sasol and Shell unveiled the world’s largest carbon capture test facility, the $1 billion Technology Centre Mongstad (TCM), in May to much industry fanfare. The site, which aims to provide a venue where large-scale operating experience can be gained, is currently contracting its two testing slots to Aker Clean Carbon and Alstom to evaluate their amine and chilled ammonia-based post-combustion capture technologies, respectively. However, both contracts are set to end later next year and TCM said it is accepting applications for vendors to fill both slots upon completion.
The facility has particularly seen much interest to fill the amine slot currently used by Aker, TCM spokesman Vegar Stokset told GHG Monitor this week. Siemens, Hitachi and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are all interested in testing their own capture technologies on that site once Aker’s Phase I testing ends in late 2013, he said. Aker is also interested in extending its contract with TCM, Stokset added. “There is definitely a lot of interest, so we’ll see,” he said. Interested parties have until the end of the year to apply for the slot, and TCM is looking to make a final decision for all the technologies that will subsequently test on the amine unit through 2017 by early next year, Stokset said. For the chilled ammonia test unit, Stokset said that TCM is hoping to extend its contract with Alstom.
TCM is still accepting applications through the end of the year on a potential third testing slot, although that unit must be constructed from the ground-up, said Stokset. “TCM’s technology committee is now screening the market for potential users for that [slot]. We want to make sure that companies we think are relevant that are doing tests now know about this possibility,” he said, adding that Siemens also indicated interested in that slot. “In the end I guess it all comes down to financing.” He said TCM could also make an announcement about that slot as early as next year.
Some Overlap Between Vendors
Testing their respective technologies at TCM could be beneficial for Siemens and Mitsubishi in particular, as both are vying to be selected as the carbon capture vendor for the full-scale carbon capture and storage demonstration project slated for Mongstad later in the decade. Operated by the Norwegian government through Gassnova and Statoil, that 350 MW project would capture one million tons of CO2 annually from Mongstad’s oil refinery. Siemens and Mitsubishi are competing against Aker, Alstom and Huaneng-CERI Powerspan in a technology qualification program for selection for the project, expected to wrap up in early 2014. As part of that program, which also requires a feasibility study and concept phase, vendors must prove via test results from facilities such as TCM that their technologies are able to work on a large scale. A final investment decision for the full-scale project is expected in 2016, with the plant expected to come online by 2020.
Norway Aims to Make Mark with Mongstad
The Norwegian government has funneled significant resources into TCM as a way to further establish its leadership in CCS. Norway was an early proponent of the technology as host to two of the world’s first CO2 storage projects at Sleipner and Snøhvit in the North Sea. Even higher expectations have been levied on the country’s demonstration project, which Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg described in 2007 as the equivalent to the country’s “moon landing.” However, in recent years the government has delayed making an investment decision on the project, most recently due to concerns about the potential toxicity of emitted amine solvents after they degrade in the atmosphere. Also adding to uncertainties were recent press reports indicating that Statoil was considering closing its Mongstad refinery—and along with it plans for the CCS demonstration project—due to higher than expected operating costs and overcapacity in the oil market. However, Statoil officials emphasized that despite the refinery facing substantial financial difficulties, operations will continue and that the CCS plans are safe. Officials at TCM have recently been mulling cooperation with similar carbon capture technology test centers internationally as an additional way to share knowledge in the field.
