Vattenfall´s CCS plant in northern Denmark

In February 2008 Vattenfall announced plans to build a full-scale Postcombustion Carbon, Capture & Storage (CCS) demonstration plant for the capture and storage of CO₂ from Nordjyllandsværket. However, Vattenfall decided in 2009 to postpone the project. On 1 March 2010, Vattenfall submitted a revised application to the Danish Energy Agency for permission to store CO₂ in the Vedsted structure in North Jutland.

Unit 3 of Nordjyllandsværket, is the world’s most efficient coal-fired power plant. With co-generation of electricity and district heating, total utilisation of up to 91% of the energy supplied to the boiler can be achieved. The high efficiency and the short distance to a suitable storage makes it expedient to invest in a CCS plant at Nordjyllandsværket.
By replacing up to a third of coal with CO₂-neutral biomass half a million tonnes of CO₂ will be “drained” from the atmosphere every year. Nordjyllandsværkets total CO₂ balance will be negative because the CCS plant captures the CO₂ that is actually emitted from the biomass during combustion.

On the basis of the 2D seismic surveys of the Vedsted structure in 2008, the structure is considered to be suitable for the storage of CO₂, both in terms of safety and geology. For this reason, Vattenfall is retaining the project for a CCS plant at North Jutland Power Plant. The reprioritisation in the CCS field that took place following the financial crisis means, however, that the CCS facility at North Jutland Power Plant is being postponed and is now planned as an early commercial plant for commissioning in around 2020. This means that planned geological and geophysical preliminary studies of the storage structure will take place over a longer period of time.

Vattenfall’s application to the Danish Energy Agency involves operating during two periods of time that will together lead to a decision on whether the structure is suitable. For Vattenfall, it is essential that we are able to document that safety in the storage of CO₂ in the Vedsted structure is optimum.

In the first period, from 2010 to 2012, there will be another analysis of the Vedsted structure and its properties on the basis of the existing data. This will be supplemented by small-scale studies related to the area’s drinking water resources, and a groundwater model will be prepared. Studies of the variation in natural emissions of CO₂ in the area will also be carried out.

In the second period of time, from 2013 to 2015, 3D seismic surveys will be carried out. At the end of the period of time, preparations will begin to carry out deep drilling in the structure to study the rock types’ physical properties and test the hydraulic conditions in the store.

Vattenfall is also investing in CCS demonstration plants in Germany and the Netherlands, but Nordjyllandsværket will be first in line when the technology becomes commercially available. When the project will become relevant again depends on Vattenfall’s financial situation and when the CCS technology is regarded as being commercially available