Joint Press Release
Friday, 18 September 2009
E.ON and Siemens switch on pilot CO2 capture facility at the Staudinger coalfired power plant
E.ON and Siemens are starting up a pilot CO2 capture plant at the E.ON power plant Staudinger in
Grosskrotzenburg near Hanau. The two companies are thus pushing further ahead with the
development of a process geared toward climate-friendly coal-based power generation. A lab-proven
process is to be employed under real operating conditions at the power plant’s hard-coal-fired
Staudinger Unit 5. The pilot plant will be operated with part of the flue gas from Unit 5. E.ON and
Siemens intend to run the facility until the end of 2010. The results achieved and the operating
performance of the pilot plant will serve as the basis for large-scale demonstration of the technology,
which is scheduled to start operation in the middle of the next decade.
In the future, it will not be possible to meet rapidly growing power demand without using fossil fuels
such as coal and natural gas. “The challenge is to attain a significant reduction in the CO2 emissions
associated with the combustion of fossil fuels. In this context CO2 capture and storage technologies
will be of great importance,” said Michael Suess, CEO of the Fossil Power Generation Division of
Siemens Energy. “These technologies are available but they have to be tested for deployment in large
plants, developed further and brought to market readiness. The pilot facility in the Staudinger power
plant marks a decisive step forward,” added Suess.
“As a major contribution toward climate protection, E.ON is planning industrial-scale CO2 capture and
storage for coal-fired power plants starting in 2020. Operation of this new plant together with Siemens
as part of our pilot fleet is an important step in this direction,” said Bernhard Fischer, E.ON’s CTO
(Chief Technology Officer?) and Member of the Management Board of E.ON Energie AG. Fischer
added: “With the post-combustion process we are focusing on a highly promising CO2 capture
technology, which can be retrofitted to existing power plants.”
The project is being sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Economics under the terms of the
COORETEC Initiative. It is part of the federal government’s 5th Energy Research Program “Innovation
and New Energy Technologies” and promotes research and development in the field of low-CO2 power
plant technologies.
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With the post-combustion capture process developed by Siemens, more than 90 percent of the CO2 is
removed from a power plant’s flue gas using special cleaning agents. One of the advantages of this
technology is that it can be combined with the well-known and further developed steam power plant
process. In the CCS pilot facility at the Staudinger power plant, the cleaning agent’s long-term
chemical stability and the efficiency of the process are now being put to the test under real power plant
conditions. In parallel, the technology will be further optimized in terms of energy consumption. “Our
process is characterized among other things by good environmental compatibility, comparatively low
energy consumption and only very low loss of the cleaning agent used,” said Suess.
The Siemens Energy Sector is the world’s leading supplier of a complete spectrum of products, services and
solutions for the generation, transmission and distribution of power and for the extraction, conversion and
transport of oil and gas. In fiscal 2008 (ended September 30), the Energy Sector had revenues of approximately
EUR22.6 billion and received new orders totaling approximately EUR33.4 billion and posted a profit of EUR1.4
billion. On September 30, 2008, the Energy Sector had a work force of approximately 83,500. Further information
is available at: www.siemens.com/energy.
E.ON is one of the world's largest investor-owned power and gas companies. Our roughly 93,500 employees
generated just under €87 billion in sales in 2008. With leading market positions in power and gas and
approximately 30 million customers we operate in more than 30 countries. We are active along the entire value
chain. Our integrated business model in power and gas extends from power generation and gas production to
distribution and sales. We combine international strength with local expertise, enabling us to share ideas across
our company. With a balanced energy mix incorporating all generation technologies, we strive to provide a secure,
climate-friendly, and affordable supply of electricity. Further information is available at: www.eon.com
Press contact:
E.ON AG
Dr. Jens Schreiber
T.:
+49-2 11-45 79-5 44 or 4 53
F.:
+49-2 11-45 79-5 66
E-Mail: jens.schreiber@eon.com
Siemens AG
Alfons Benzinger
T.:
+49-91 31 18-70 34
F.:
+49-91 31 18-70 39
E-Mail: alfons.benzinger@siemens.com
Dr. Christian Drepper
T.:
+49-2 11-45 79-8 89
E-Mail: Christian.drepper@eon.com
Gerda Gottschick
T.:
+49-91 31 18-8 57 53
E-Mail: gerda.gottschick@siemens.com
E.ON AG
E.ON-Platz 1
40479 Düsseldorf
Siemens AG, Energy Sector
Freyeslebenstr. 1
91058 Erlangen
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