The company said in November 2009 that it will not be proceeding with a consent application for a 1600MW cleaner coal plant at the site because the economic conditions were not supportive for coal projects.
An area of the site has been identified for the potential fitting and enablement of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies in the future, if and when this technology becomes viable. One CCS method that may be considered is integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) technology, RWE npower said.
IGCC is the process where coal can be turned into a gas and used as a fuel for the CCGT power station, with the resulting CO2 being captured and removed for permanent storage.
Kevin McCullough, chief technical officer of RWE npower, said: “This is just an option at this stage, but our Tilbury site is an excellent one for power generation. It has good energy infrastructure and is close to areas of high electricity demand. Gas generation has a part to play in our energy mix alongside coal, renewables and nuclear projects.
“The development of CCS technologies is essential if we are to meet national carbon emissions targets, and maintain secure supplies of electricity. We are already developing a carbon dioxide capture pilot plant at our coal station in Aberthaw, South Wales. A modern gas station at the Tilbury site would be ‘CCS ready’ and, in the future, could enable us to capture CO2 from our plant using this alternative technology.”
