Facts:

Main developer: Fortum

Meri Pori was constructed in 1993 and being a new power station it would be easier to retro-fit than for older power plants. Fortum has been testing CO₂ capture at its Värtan CHP power plant in Stockholm, Sweden since 2007.

The European Commission has launched an initiative to start 12 large-scale CCS demonstration projects by 2015. Meri Pori was hoping to be one of them.

 

The FINNCAP - Meri Pori CCS Project was a proposal by the Finnish power generation companies Fortum and Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) to jointly develop a carbon capture and storage (CCS) solution to their Meri-Pori power plant by 2015. The FINNCAP project aims to become part of the European CCS demonstration programme by capturing and storing more than 1.2 Mt CO₂ annually.

The joint venture states that "CO₂ shall be captured in Meri-Pori with post-combustion technology supplied by Siemens Energy". The capture system will treat 50% of the plant's flue gases on full capacity. Carbon capture requires significant investments and decreases the plant's net efficiency from 43 % to 38 %. Also the plant output decreases from 565 MW to 500 MW. The target is to reach a CO₂ capture rate exceeding 90% of the treated flue gas flow with more than 1.2 Mt captured CO₂ annually.

Where most CCS proposals involve direct pumping from the point of capture to a storage site via a pipleine, FINNCAP is investigating transporting compressed carbon dioxide via ships. FINCAPP state that in December 2009 it contracted Maersk Oil to investigate the possibility of providing final CO₂ storage in the depleting oil and gas fields of the Danish North Sea, as well as the potential use of CO₂ for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). The ship transportation distance to North Sea would be approximately 2,000 km and require two tankers with the capacity of ~20,000 m³. In addition, an intermediate storage would be needed at Port of Pori.

 

In October 2010 Fortum announced that the project had been abandoned as a result of "studies that have been done and on the company’s updated strategy." earlier in the year TVO had withdrawn from the project.

In a media release announcing the collapse of the project the company stated that "the technological and financial risks related to the project contributed to Fortum’s decision." While the company had originally aimed to gain funding from the European Union’s CCS demonstration programme, additional funding would have been required from the Finnish government and participating companies.

Acceptance into the EU programme would have covered only a portion of the costs of the approximately EUR 500-million project. In addition to EU funding, the project would have required national funding from Finland and significant investments from the companies participating in it. "According to Fortum’s updated strategy, coal condensing is not within the core of the company’s operations; in light of this the risks grew too extensive", Matti Ruotsala, Executive Vice President, Power Division stated in the media release.

However, despite its decision to discontinue the Meri-Pori CCS project, Fortum says it still continues to participate actively in CCS technology development.

 

Timing:

Originally: Analysis of alternative technologies (2008); Investment decision (2011-12); Operation (2015).
Now: discontinued

 

Other Sources and Press Release:

Siemens Capture technology chosen for Meri Pori (October 2009)
Fortum News: CCS to be developed at Meri Pori (January 2008)
TVO CO₂ capture technology to be used in Meri Pori

Companies involved

Main contact person:

• Risto Andsten, (Fortum, Vice President, Strategic Investments)

Homepage:

http://www.fortumresearch.com/en/carbon_

Persons involved in the project: