UK: Drax turning an eye on CCS

Drax, the owner and operator of the UK’s largest coal-fired power station has announced that has started feasibility studies into the use of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) after joining talks with the regional development agency to help develop its GBP2bn carbon cluster project. This would involve the creation of a network of major industrial CO₂ emitters in East Yorkshire, which together would transport their CO₂ via a pipeline or ship to the North Sea. Drax believes that oxyfuel combustion, a process much more suited then conventional combustion for CCS, could be applied to its 4000MW power plant and began preliminary studies in 4Q09. Drax said in 2009, that it had no interest in a pilot CCS plant but was willing to consider using the technology once it had been proven and had become economically viable (Yorkshire Post).