As of September 30, 2016, the Carbon Capture and Sequestration Technologies program at MIT has closed. The website is being kept online as a reference but will not be updated.

Porto Tolle Fact Sheet: Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage Project

Company/Alliance: Enel, Aker Clean Carbon

Location: Porto Tolle, Italy

Feedstock: Coal

Size: 250 MW (one boiler retrofit); 1 Mt/yr

Capture Technology: Post-combustion

CO2 Fate: 120 km pipeline to offshore saline formation in Adriatic Sea

Start: Permitting is expected to be finalised in 2014

Status: Due to permitting and legislation issues, the project has been cancelled

Motivation/Economics:

The project was awarded €100 million from EU government in December 2009 as part of government economic recovery act. Total project cost €2.5 billion ($3.6 billion). ENEL will receive a total of about €400 million from the EU toward the project.

Porto Tolle Project received €100 million in funding through the European Energy Program for Recovery (EEPR) and it is part of the European CCS Demonstration Project Network.

Comments:

Enel is postponing making a start on its project in Porto Tolle to convert a fuel-oil burning plant to coal because it is still waiting for the operating license.

On May 17, 2011, Italy's top administrative court, Italy's State Council, annulled the Environmental Ministry's decree approving the Enel's Porto Tolle project. The decision came as a surprise to Enel who had initially received the approval from the Environment Ministry in July 2009 after 6 years of trying to obtain the approval. The court's decision to cancel the coal fired power plant was based on environmental grounds following complaints from green groups and local industry. Enel, who has already invested about 70% of the total investment, has decided to try and by-pass the ruling by using oil instead of coal to fire the power plant. Due to some permitting legislation issues, the Final Investment Decision of the Porto Tolle CCS project in Italy (ENEL) has been delayed till 2016.

Enel is currently developing a small-scale pilot project at the Brindisi power station in order to test CCS capture before application to the full-scale demonstration project at Porto Tolle.

Project Link: Porto Tolle Project website is no longer available

Other Sources and Press Releases:

Enel Website
Enel Post Combustion Carbon Capture Project
Enel's Italian Porto Tolle coal conversion timeframe uncertain: CEO (March 2012)
Enel aims to switch oil plant to coal in June 2012 (July 2011)
Italy's top court stops Enel's key coal conversion plan (May 2011)
Enel to invest €1 billion ($1.38 billion) on CCS plant (March 2011)
Aker Clean Carbon wins FEED study (October 2010)
Awarded €100 million from EU government (December 2009)
Enel's CCS projects [PDF] (March 2009)