More companies specializing in carbon capture technologies

The number of companies focused on comercializing carbon capture and storage has climbed steadily in recent years. For instance, Aker ASA and Aker Solutions established Aker Clean Carbon in 2008.

Aker Clean Carbon was demerged from Aker Solutions so Aker Solutions could concentrate on its core oil and gas business, said Liv Monica B. Stubholt, Aker Clean Carbon chief executive. She spoke during a Dec. 6 North Sea CCS conference hosted by the British and Norwegian consulates general offices in Houston.

Stubholt said Aker Clean Carbon provides technological expertise and project execution to energy companies. Aker Solutions developed “green technology” out of its traditional oil and gas business, she said.

Recently, Aker Clean Carbon was awarded a contract to conduct a feasibility study for EnBW’s new coal power plant in Karlsruhe, Germany. Aker Clean Carbon will supply process design and estimates for the capital investment and operational cost of a CO2 capture unit.

Elsewhere, Aker Clean Carbon is part of a consortium led by Scottish Power. The consortium is participating in the UK government’s competition to develop the UK’s first commercial carbon capture and storage project.

Aker Clean Carbon also is compiling a front-end engineering and design study for ENEL’s Porto Tolle CO2 Capture Unit Project. The FEED study is scheduled for completion during the first quarter of 2011.

Chevron notes cooperation of Australian government

A Chevron Corp. executive vice-president for upstream and gas, told a meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation members that Asian governments need to promote policies to expand and diversity energy resources, especially natural gas.

Speaking at the APEC meeting in Singapore on Nov. 12, Kirkland cited Australia as a good example.

In September, Chevron and partners agreed to proceed with the $40 billion Gorgon LNG and upstream project off Australia.

“Gorgon will supply natural gas into the Asia-Pacific region as well as Australia domestically—with half the carbon footprint of coal,” Kirkland said. “Gas from Gorgon will significantly help expand and diversity the Asia-Pacific region’s energy supplies.”

Australia also worked with Chevron to support a carbon capture and sequestration component of Gorgon, Kirkland noted.

“Australia got it right with natural gas, a resource whose time has come,” he said.

He credits Australia's state and federal government officials with aggressively fostering policies and a political environment providing stable legal frameworks, predictable fiscal and tax regimes, and contact sanctity.