1) European Energy Industry Commits to an EU Industrial Initiative on CCS
3) Study on Planned New Power Plants: CO2 Avoidance by Efficiency Enhancement
5) KOMET 650 - Environmental and Climate Protection - VGB PowerTech Journal 3/2008
The European technology platform for near-zero emission fossil fuel power plants ETP-ZEP organised a commitment of industry to CCS activities in a letter to Commissioner Piebalgs, which was presented on 21st February 2008 in Brussels. This is a commitment of European generators but also of the oil and gas companies and equipment suppliers. Involved are mainly members of ETP-ZEP but also others. 22 companies spent already about 635 million Euros for CCS development and efficiency increase related to CCS over the last five years. These companies have also budgeted more than 11 billion Euros for CCS demonstration plants.
This is a very strong commitment from the industry and should encourage the additional support of member states and the European Commission. The support on the European level is necessary for the legal framework but also for public co-investment to ensure a technological spread of capture and storage technologies, a geographical spread all over Europe and to make use of transnational synergies for transport and storage of CO2. Under these circumstances the companies are confident to be able to move quickly to realise the goal of the EU Industrial Initiative to have 10 to 12 large-scale CCS demonstration projects operational by 2015.
http://www.zero-emissionplatform.eu/website/index.html
According to the "Regulation (EC) No. 166/2006 concerning the establishment of a European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register ..." emissions of certain pollutants - above fixed threshold values - from industrial installations, also from power plants, have to be reported. The emissions have to be reported annually, for the first time in 2008 for the reporting year 2007.
On behalf of EURELECTRIC the VGB European Working Group "E-PRTR" has compiled the recommendations "European Wide Sector Specific Calculation Method for Reporting to the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register". The document sets out a calculation method for the emissions, including emission factors, and is intended to be reviewed at regular intervals.
It has been submitted to the Commission and other relevant European institutions and is a Europe-wide sector-specific calculation method as mentioned in the E-PRTR Guidance Document also published by the Commission. Operators not having own data are invited to use these recommendations if there is no conflict with national regulations.
The VGB/EURELECTRIC recommendations is available for download:
http://www.vgb.org/en/news_recommendation_eprtr.html
The VGB Study "Calculation of the CO2 Avoidance Potential by Modernisation of the Coal-fired Power Plant Park in the EU-27 until 2020" aims at demonstrating the considerable contribution of newly built coal-fired power plants to climate protection. When finished successfully, the project will provide a reliable data base of the current power plants' average efficiency and potential future development scenarios.
http://www.vgb.org/en/research_project307.html
The VGB Job Market is offering prospective persons the possibility to develop their career in the range of power and heat generation. You can find current vacancies on our homepage.
http://www.vgb.org/en/jobmarket.html
Main topics of the March issue are: The Success of Lignite-fired Power Plants in Lusatia, KOMET 650 - Coal-fired Power Stations with Steam Temperatures up to 650 °C - Findings from a Successful Ten-years Field Test to Examine Materials for Boiler Tubes, Pipes, Turbines and Valves -, Torrevaldaglia Power Plant: One of the Cleanest and Most Efficient Coal-fired Power Stations Worldwide, Carbon Capture and Storage Power Plants - Effects of ASU-Integration on IGCC Performance and Gas Turbine Operation.
Abstracts of all articles are available here:
http://www.vgb.org/current_issue.html