The technology provider to bring carbon capture and storage to a key part of the South Humber Bank’s industrial cluster has been selected.
Shell Catalysts & Technologies will work with VPI Immingham, the combined heat and power plant behind the two oil refineries there.
VPI is one of two lead partners in Humber Zero, with Phillips 66 alongside - operator of one of the refineries and the former owner of the plant.
Read more: V Net Zero engineering contract award to drive forward South Humber Bank plans
Project director for Humber Zero at VPI, Jonathan Briggs, said: “Industrial decarbonisation at scale using carbon capture and storage will be essential if the UK is to achieve its ambition of a Net Zero economy by 2050. Humber Zero’s goal of decarbonising the Immingham industrial site will capture up to eight million tonnes of carbon from critical industry and make a significant contribution towards reaching that goal.
“We’re looking forward to working with Shell in bringing their considerable expertise and capture technology to Humber Zero, and to working together to deliver such an important and exciting project for both Immingham and the Humber.”
Shell will be providing its Cansolv CO2 post-combustion carbon capture technology to be retrofitted to two of three VPI Immingham power station stacks which emit carbon-rich flue gas.
Shell’s partner Technip Energies, will support the design of the capture unit and the pilot plant, with the technology set to capture 95 per cent or more of the CO2 in the gas, allowing it to be compressed, transported and safely stored in geological structures under the seabed.
Andy Gosse, president of Shell Catalysts & Technologies, said: “We are very proud to work with VPI Immingham as a partner for this critical project. Shell’s Cansolv CO2 Capture technology has been in operation since 2013, including in a large-scale, commercial, low-pressure application at SaskPower in Canada, where it is designed to capture up to one million tonnes a year of CO2.
“This project with VPI Immingham will be a flagship project in the Humber and UK journey to Net Zero and will be an important front runner for the world of carbon capture and storage. A pilot campaign run at the VPI plant conducted with our partner Technip, will be a key next step in demonstrate the strength of the Cansolv technology in capturing CO2 in natural gas fired power generation”
Shell Catalysts and Technologies was formed through the combining of Shell Global Solutions, a technology licensor with a track record of delivering pioneering process schemes and innovative configurations; Criterion Catalysts & Technologies, the world’s largest hydroprocessing catalyst supplier and CRI Catalyst Company, a pioneer in the petrochemical catalyst sector.
It isn't the first link between huge Humber decarbonisation plans and the Dutch multi-national. Shell had been involved as a partner in the development of a green jet fuel plant at Stallingborough - with Velocys and British Airways. That proposal continues with the two, and has just joined the Zero Carbon Humber partnership spanning both banks.
Shell's appointment comes a fortnight after Worley was selected to conduct the front end engineering and design.
Humber Zero aims to remove up to eight million tonnes of CO2 from critical industry located on the South Humber Bank.
VPI Immingham’s 1.2-gigawatt combined heat and power plant is described as being ideally placed to kick start a reduction in industrial carbon dioxide emissions. As well as providing heat and power for the refineries it provides up to five per cent of the peak power requirement for the National Grid, and is seen as one of the most efficient of its type.
UKRI, through the Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge, is investing £12.5m of government funding in the project, with that figure being matched by the Humber Zero partners.
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