GE Gas Power, DL E&C Advance CCUS Technologies in Asia

(Credit: GE Gas Power)

GE Gas Power is partnering with South Korea’s DL E&C to develop a plan for carbon capture integration with natural gas power plants in Asia with the goal of treating post-combustion carbon emissions at the facilities.

The partnership, which also includes DL E&C decarbonization subsidiary CARBONCO, will explore ways to speed the implementation of low-carbon power facilities by embedding carbon capture technologies. The companies say they will identify potential projects for existing or new power plants as well as study potential locations to implement carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) within a combined cycle power plant.

The projects would be powered by GE’s gas turbines located across Asia and Oceania and build on the company’s technology and control systems and integrate them into power plants with DL E&C’s and CARBONCO’s carbon capture platforms. The companies have experience with gas combined cycle plant engineering, operations, and integration, and the goal is to produce a system with lower carbon intensity and increased reliability.

The International Energy Agency says since 2000 Southeast Asia alone has met most of its increased energy demands with fossil fuels. The area is also home to major coal and liquid natural gas exporters. By implementing CCUS technology in the region, newer power plants and industrial facilities in the region can continue to operate and increase emissions reductions and improve energy security, the EIA says. To help with international net-zero goals, 200 million metric tons of CCUS capacity needs to be installed in the area by 2050, according to the EIA.

Overall, CCUS is seen as a key to achieving carbon neutrality internationally, especially in carbon-intensive industries such as power. The EIA says by 2070 the industry will capture 40% of the world’s carbon under net-zero scenarios.

The CCUS market is growing as a result and is expected to be valued at more than $9.4 billion by 2027, according to Research and Markets. Large carbon capture projects are being developed across the world, including one in the Midwestern United States and the Northern Lights venture in Europe.

Despite the goals to increase CCUS technologies internationally, there have been questions as to how effective the technology actually is. A study by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis found that 73% of the carbon captured annually is used to extract more fossil fuels with 6% going toward power generation.

The Korean companies’ operations are currently able to capture more than 3,000 tons of carbon emissions per day, they say. Their processes can transform captured carbon into liquid carbonic acid or carbon mineralization that can be used for recycling or domestic and international storage.

GE Gas Power has more than 1,300 gas turbines installed in Asia and the company says the adoption of CCUS technologies can help it reduces emissions in the power industry throughout the region. Its presence is especially significant in Korea where it has 70 gas turbines with an energy generation capacity of 14 GW.

The company has operations in more than 20 countries. Earlier in 2022, GE Gas Power received nearly $5.8 million from the US Department of Energy to develop CCUS technologies in North America.