W I R E L I N E
- I S S U E 2 5 A U T U M N 2 0 1 3
2 5
O
n the face of it the gas-fired
power station at Peterhead,
Aberdeenshire, Scotland, is
just another power station.
A supplier of electricity and heat which
is so frequently taken for granted in this
modern age. But the building’s quiet
exterior is deceiving. In fact, it stands
tall at the front end of a programme of
innovative activity that would be a world
first and would herald a new era for gas in
the UK (and globally).
Steered by Shell, the Peterhead Carbon
Capture and Storage (CCS) project aims to
recover and remove carbon dioxide (CO
2
)
generated by the power station, which is
operated by Scottish and Southern Energy
(SSE). The proposal is to then transport the
CO
2
by pipeline for storage more than two
kilometres deep under the UK Continental
Shelf and about 100 kilometres offshore
in the depleted Goldeneye gas reservoir,
which ceased production in 2012.
Using the shelf space
Gas will remain the largest source of heat and a major source of electricity for
some decades to come.
Wireline
reports on a trailblazing UK carbon capture and
storage project, which typifies the compelling, two-in-one proposition offered
by gas – an ability to meet the UK’s long-term energy needs whilst dramatically
cutting carbon emissions.
CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE
GAS
The Peterhead Carbon Capture and Storage project proposal
is to store carbon dioxide two kilometres deep under the
UK Continental Shelf and 100 kilometres offshore in the
depleted Goldeneye gas reservoir
