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.

RWE Goldenbergwerk Fact Sheet: Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage Project

Company/Alliance: BASF, RWE Power and the Linde Group

Location: Hürth, near Cologne, Germany

Feedstock: Coal (lignite)

Size: 450 MW Gross, 360 MW Net: 2.3 Mt/yr of CO2

Capture Technology: IGCC, Pre-combustion

CO2 Fate: Sequestration in saline reservoir

Timing: Project has been cancelled

Original timing: Power Plant - Phase 1: Project development (2006-2008); Phase 2: Engineering and approval procedure (2008-2010); Phase 3: Construction and commercial operation

CO2 Storage - Phase 1: Selection of storage site (2006-2008); Phase 2: Evaluation of storage site (2008-2010); Phase 3: construction of storage facility (2011-2014); CO2 storage (2020)

Motivation/Economics:

Total cost is €2 billion (US$2.577 billion). RWE has already committed €1 billion (US $1.3 billion) with €800 million (US$ 1.1 billion) for the power plant and €200 million (US$ 280 million) for the pipeline and CO2 storage operations.

Comments:

The implementation of the IGCC-CCS project requires the German Carbon Storage Law (KSpG) be passed. Without this legal framework exploration for suitable CCS storage sites cannot be done. Without the storage site located, the rest of the infrastructure cannot be planned and built. Therefore RWE has decided to defer the first steps necessary to implement the IGCC project in Hürth and halt engineering activities for the power plant.

RWE Power had been working with RWE Dea to use their knowledge of the exploration of oil and gas for storing natural gas to find suitable geological formations on or offshore. RWE Power is making €2 billion (US$ 2.7 billion) available for its climate protection program until 2014, including spending money on renewable energy and CO2 reduction in developing countries. RWE Dea had planed to investigate suitable storage locations in Schleswig-Holstein.

Project Link: RWE IGCC project website

Other Sources and Press Releases:
2015 CCS deadline cannot be met *note, article's information is at bottom of page
Cologne Government approves CCS plant (March 2009) *note, page is translated from German
RWE press release of site chosen (August 2008)
BASF, RWE Power and Linde Developing New Processes for CO2 Capture in Coal-Fired Power Plants (September 2007)
RWE Plans 1 Bln Euro Clean-Coal Power Plant (March 2006)