The world’s first industrial scale demonstration of oxyfuel combustion and carbon capture technology has been completed at the Callide Oxyfuel Project in Central Queensland.

Bulletin 9

June 2015

Callide Oxyfuel Project achieves targets

The world’s first industrial scale demonstration of oxyfuel combustion and carbon capture technology has been completed at the Callide Oxyfuel Project in Central Queensland, bringing us a step closer to a cleaner energy future.
At operational completion in March 2015, the Callide Oxyfuel Project had achieved its project targets, including:
• 14,815 overall generation hours;
• 10,268 hours of operating in oxyfuel combustion mode;
• 5,661 hours of industrial operation of the carbon capture plant;
• Completion of an extensive research and development program; and
• Carbon dioxide  injection tests at the CO2CRC Otway Project site in South Western Victoria.
According to Callide Oxyfuel Project Director, Dr Chris Spero, the international partnership has made a significant global contribution towards finding new ways of producing cleaner and affordable electricity from fossil fuels.
Dr Spero said the Callide Oxyfuel Project is a great story about what can be achieved through good science, good engineering and international collaboration, in the pursuit of near-zero emissions from coal fired electricity generation.
“We successfully tested oxyfuel technology and carbon dioxide capture under ‘live’ power station conditions for more than two years, and our results show it is ready for the next steps toward commercial application,” he said.

Gala dinner celebrates project success

In April 2015, around 60 of the project’s biggest supporters and contributors attended a dinner at Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art, to celebrate the success of the Callide Oxyfuel Project.
Dignitaries attending the function included the Japanese Consulate-General, Ms Yoko Yanagisawa, the Queensland Minister for Energy and Water, The Honorable Mark Bailey (pictured, right), the Chairman of CO2CRC, Mr Martin Ferguson (pictured, left) as well as representatives from the Australian Department of Industry and Science and Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Project Director, Dr Chris Spero said the idea behind the Callide Oxyfuel Project was first considered at a COAL21 forum in July 2003, and its success is testament to great partnerships and communication between governments, industry, engineers, scientists and researchers.
“Behind the technical achievements is the human story, and that is what our Celebration Dinner recognised – the genuine and harmonious collaboration between Australia and Japan, and people from many disciplines working very hard over a long period of time to make the Callide Oxyfuel Project a success.

Collaboration with CO2CRC to advance carbon storage knowledge

The Callide Oxyfuel Project has also helped advance the generation industry’s investigations into the viability of carbon dioxide storage through its collaboration with CO2CRC.
Carbon dioxide from the Callide Oxyfuel Project was transported by road to CO2CRC’s Otway Project site in South Western Victoria and injected underground. Building on the large body of work already done by CO2CRC, the injected carbon dioxide was used to evaluate the geochemical and physical behaviour of carbon dioxide within the storage rock.

The Callide Oxyfuel Project has helped create a pathway for the design and construction of larger scale oxy-combustion plants with carbon capture, as both ‘bolt-on’ technology to existing plant or as new-build plant. When linked with geological carbon storage, this technology has the potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from coal fired power stations by around 80 percent, providing a realistic technology option for low emission electricity generation.