Energy Biz - July/August 2008 - (Page 20) » FinAnciAl Front North Dakota Vision the Right Climate foR CaRBon CaptURe and stoRage By John haRJU the wIllIston BasIn Is an area (Guest opinion) tion, geologic sequestration, and monitoring. In this regard, it will be a first-of-its-kind demonstration for a of significant opportunity for the demonstration coal-fired power plant. and development of carbon capture and storage. It Carbon dioxide from roughly 16 percent of the covers significant portions of North and South flue gas produced at the Basin Electric Power Dakota, Montana, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and Cooperative’s Antelope Valley power station will is a deep, seismically stable sedimentary basin with multiple stacked CO2 sequestration targets including be captured using Powerspan’s ECO2 process, after which it will be dehydrated, lignite deposits, oil reservoirs and compressed and transported via saline formations. The oil fields of pipeline to a Williston Basin oil the Williston Basin are mature, with field for enhanced oil recovery many of the fields exhibiting and safe, permanent storage. characteristics that hold the The demonstration is funded by promise of an opportunity for the U.S. Department of Energy commercial success utilizing and the various members of the CO2-based tertiary recovery PCOR Partnership. It is posmethods. Unlike the Permian Basin sible only because of the close in Texas, which has seen the collaboration of many regional successful application of CO2organizations, including state based enhanced oil recovery for agencies, utilities, oil and gas approximately three decades, there John Harju companies, research institutions, is no ready natural source of CO2 PhOTO cOurTEsy OF EErc and nongovernmental entities. within economically feasible The demonstration will begin distances and in sufficient quantito answer some of the questions that have been ties. This situation has led the oil producers in the raised with respect to capture at a coal-fired facilregion to look toward anthropogenic sources of CO2 ity, including the size of the parasitic power load for oil recovery applications. At the same time, the required to operate the capture plant; the space numerous coal-fired electrical generating stations in the Williston Basin are looking at carbon capture and constraints of a capture system; the ease of integration of a capture plant with existing electrical, storage as a technology that can sustain them in the plumbing, and ductwork infrastructure; and the event of a carbon-managed future. effect of the capture plant on plant performance – As part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s other than derating – waste management, water Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership Program, usage and wastewater treatment. Cost calculathe Plains CO2 Reduction (PCOR) Partnership, tions performed over the entire capture-dehymanaged by the University dration-compression system will enable utilities of North Dakota Energy & NewsFlash to better estimate the complete cost of capture Environmental Research when integrated into a facility. Center, is conducting a Pinnacle West Builds Because this is an integrated, cradle-to-grave concurrent CO2 sequestest, it offers the unique opportunity to begin tration and enhanced oil Pinnacle West Capital Corp. will plow optimization of the entire suite of technologies and recovery demonstration $10 billion into a infrastructure needed for safe geologic sequestrain the Williston Basin of 50 percent expansion of its electric system in tion of CO2. The work will provide data critical to western North Dakota. The Arizona, according to a demonstration will feature CCS becoming a cornerstone of the U.S. global report by Dow Jones. The investment will all of the aspects associclimate change response. be made in the next ated with carbon capture, John Harju is associate director for research at the University of decade, according to the North Dakota’s Energy & Environmental Research Center. company. compression, transportaJuly/August 2008 20 E n E rgyB i z http://www.energycentral.com
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