UK Government Approves Construction of $2.5B Project for Carbon Capture Facility
The government of the United Kingdom gives the green light to the construction of a Carbon Capture Facility project that would cost $2.5 billion. This carbon-negative wood-burning power plant is estimated to save millions of dollars annually once it is completed.
(Photo : Pexels/Pixabay )
Carbon Capture Facility in the UK
On Tuesday, the government of the United Kingdom approved the initiative called a 'carbon negative' wood-burning power station, estimated to cost approximately $2.5 billion. Construction might begin in 2027, depending on the availability of funds.
As a result of the decision made by Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho, a plan to install carbon capture units on two generators at a power station in Yorkshire, which is operated by Drax power station, located in Drax, North Yorkshire, has been given the green light. According to the corporation, after each one is operational, they could prevent the emission of four million tons of carbon pollution into the atmosphere every year. It would subsequently be kept beneath the North Sea to keep the carbon from contributing to the planet's warming.
Moreover, the Drax has asserted that the cost reductions that may be achieved by carbon removals from bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) could result in savings of £700 million or $885.5 million annually between the years 2030 and 2050 in comparison to alternative carbon reduction strategies. Two biomass units already in operation at the Drax facility are set to be equipped with post-combustion capture equipment, which will be installed as part of this construction effort.
It was stated that the amount of carbon the project would catch annually would be similar to removing three million automobiles off the road or canceling all of the aircraft that depart from Heathrow Airport yearly. While this was happening, the climate think tank Ember estimated that the facility's construction and management could necessitate financial assistance from the government in the amount of up to £1.7 billion or $2.2 billion annually.
Also Read: Construction Output Continuously Faces Decline Despite an Increase in Housing Projects
Controversy on the $2.5B Project
In 2019, Drax transitioned from burning coal to burning biomass, primarily wood pellets, the most polluting power station in Western Europe. This power station in Yorkshire, which generates approximately 4% of the total power in the United Kingdom, primarily burns wood imported from North America.
The facility will be converted into a kind of energy known as BECCS, which Drax claims will enable it to eliminate more carbon emissions from the environment than it emits by burning the biomass, so making it carbon-negative will be accomplished by adding carbon capture units.
However, several climate specialists have voiced significant reservations about the technology. Tomos Harrison, an electrical transition analyst at Ember, a think tank focused on energy, stated that BECCS is a technology that has yet to be demonstrated to be effective and is very controversial. Accordingly, it would carry a substantial financial burden for the general public in the United Kingdom.
Several scientists have questioned the credibility of burning biomass regarding climate change. Based on the findings of a study conducted in 2021 by the Science Advisory Council of the European Academies, utilizing wood for electricity is not an effective method for reducing the effects of global warming. It could even boost the likelihood of harmful climate change.
Furthermore, one primary critique pertains to the protracted period required for young trees and plants to reabsorb the carbon emissions generated during biomass combustion. Also, there are worries that the process of obtaining wood could be harmful to the forests.
Related Article: Redevelopment of Mixed-Use Facility Project in New Jersey Secures $54M Funding