German chemical, gases and electricity giants BASF, Linde and RWE Power have agreed on the joint development of new processes for carbon-dioxide capture from combustion gases in coal-fired power plants.

A first stage invovles a facility to test solvents toward understanding the necessary processes and plant engineering. The goal is to add capture kit to lignite-fired power plants by 2020 that’ll remove more than 90 per cent carbon-dioxide from combustion gas, with the rest going underground.

A demo plant is planned for 2010 ahead of possible processes for sale.

RWE Power will spend €80 million on the development project, including operation and Linde’s construction and of the pilot and demo plant. The first chosen site is an RWE Power lignite-fired power plant in Niederaussem.

RWE Power is also developing the first “carbon-neutral, coal-fired power plant” with carbon-dioxide transport and storage — its large-scale, 450-megawatt plant due on-stream in 2014 at an unnamed site.

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