Minister for Mines and Energy Stephen Robertson welcomed the Commonwealth Government announcement as a vote of confidence in Queensland researchers, who are at the forefront of green technology innovations.
“This funding from the Commonwealth’s $2 billion Carbon Capture and Storage Flagships Program will allow the ZeroGen power plant proposal west of Gladstone, and the Wandoan power plant proposal northwest of Brisbane, to make important contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Robertson said.
“Assessment of the two Queensland projects will move ahead once the Commonwealth has made a decision in relation to funding for the pre-feasibility studies. The exact location of each plant will be finalized as part of this assessment.”
“The Queensland Government has made an early investment of $102.5 million in the ZeroGen project and other demonstration projects to accelerate the development and deployment of low emission coal technologies.”
“The ZeroGen and Wandoan projects will ensure Queensland is well placed to be a world leader in bringing this crucial technology to fruition and we are pleased the Commonwealth recognizes this.”
“The Bligh Government is focussed on protecting our environment from the impacts of climate change while securing a reliable low-cost energy supply and supporting the growth of Queensland’s coal industry,” Robertson said.
“We have been working for several months with the Australian Coal Association to attract Commonwealth support for these demonstration projects,” Robertson said.
The ZeroGen Project proposes to build and operate an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power station with CCS in central Queensland.
When operating at full capacity, which is expected by late 2015, the power station is proposed to capture and store about 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
Key features of the ZeroGen project include: Net output of 400 megawatts (MW) while capturing 65% of carbon dioxide emissions that the plant would otherwise be expected to produce; Investigating the potential for the plant to capture and store up to 90% of carbon dioxide emissions; On-site carbon dioxide capture and transportation by pipeline to a storage location to be confirmed during pre-feasibility studies.
ZeroGen is undertaking some of the most extensive exploration and assessment work globally in the Northern Denison Trough in Central Queensland to enable the safe storage of carbon dioxide in deep geological formations.
The Wandoan Project proposal is for an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power station project that will produce a net output of 334 megawatts and will be based in Queensland’s Surat Basin.
The project will also have the ability to incorporate up to 90% CCS when operating at full capacity. It’s expected this will mean about 2.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide will be captured and safely stored, per year.
Pre-feasibility work for the Wandoan project has begun with the aim of operations commencing by the end of 2015.
CCS technology has been endorsed as a promising technology to reduce emissions from coal-fired power stations by the International Energy Agency, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and WWF-Australia.
Apart from CCS, Queensland is committed to investigating a portfolio of low emissions energy options including solar technology, geothermal and wind technology, Robertson said.
“The Queensland Government will continue to support energy efficiency measures and green technologies, to reduce Queensland’s carbon footprint,” Robertson said.
