RWE announces development proposals for three new carbon capture projects across the UK

RWE has announced plans to progress three new carbon capture projects.

The company is testing the feasibility of options to retrofit carbon capture technology at its existing combined cycle gas power stations at Pembroke and Staythorpe.

It is also developing proposals for a new carbon-capture, gas-fired power station at Stallingborough, close to the Humber Estuary. The proposed development would be up to 800 megawatts enough to power one million homes.

Tom Glover, UK Country Chair for RWE, commented: “In order to decarbonise the power sector, support security of supply and enable large scale industrial decarbonisation, it is important that clean gas generation projects are developed. Carbon capture can support the expansion of the other renewable and low carbon technologies that RWE is a leader in deploying, by providing energy security through firm and flexible provision of electricity that is not reliant on weather. I am pleased to announce our plans for three UK carbon capture projects, representing an important step in our progression towards decarbonising our existing gas fleet.”

The development of these projects would form an important part of a robust and comprehensive energy network that ensures the UK has stable and secure generation whenever it is needed.

If all three projects are progressed, they would collectively be capable of securing up to 4.7 gigawatts (GW) of flexible, decarbonised generation capacity – enough to produce electricity to power the equivalent of 8.1 million typical UK homes, while capturing 11 million tonnes of CO2 per year – equal to removing 2.2 million petrol cars from the road.

All three projects are close to proposed CO2 networks or will have access to shipping facilities, which would enable the CO2 to be safely transported and stored by third parties.

RWE has developed partnerships with industrial clusters South Wales Industrial Cluster (SWIC) and Viking CCS in order to develop these transportation and storage options. Where possible, utilisation options for the captured CO2 will be targeted.

RWE say the projects are now preparing to apply to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Track 2 Phase 2 cluster sequencing funding application process, which is dedicated to carbon capture projects in close proximity to carbon capture storage or transport facilities.

Find out more here.