Thursday 09thSeptember 2021
Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, will work with Whitetail project proposers; US clean energy innovation firm 8 Rivers Capital, acting through its UK affiliate, Zero Degrees Whitetail Development Ltd., and Sembcorp Energy UK (SEUK), to develop the UK’s first Net Zero emissions power station at the Wilton International site on Teesside.
The proposed 300MW NET power plant will capture and store its carbon emissions in secure geological formations deep under the North Sea and the appointment will progress Whitetail to be operational as soon as 2025.
For the contract, Atkins will support Whitetail as the Owner’s Engineer through the design phases to financial close. Atkins will also provide an on-site presence to monitor, supervise and manage the construction and commissioning phase.
Whitetail is expected to harness the Allam-Fetvedt Cycle, pioneered by NET Power and 8 Rivers Capital. The process combusts natural gas with oxygen, rather than air, and uses supercritical CO2 as a working fluid to drive a turbine instead of steam. As a result, near all air emissions, including traditional pollutants and CO2, are eliminated and pipeline-quality CO2 is produced so that it can be captured and stored offshore.
The proposed location at Sembcorp Energy UK’s site at Wilton International already offers convenient port and pipeline access, meaning that all Whitetail’s captured CO2 can be easily transported to UK sequestration sites. 8 Rivers Capital completed a Pre-FEED study for UK deployments of the Allam-Fetvedt Cycle technology earlier this year with funding from the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy.
Whitetail will also be in the vanguard of investment into a number of objectives of the UK Government’s ten-point plan for a green industrial revolution, and is expected to bring inward investment into the clean power sector supporting over 2,000 direct, indirect, and induced jobs, including cascading supply chain opportunities during the construction phase of the project.
Chris Ball, Managing Director – Nuclear and Power, Atkins EMEA, added: ‘With a long-standing history in the region, this project will bring together our local expertise with a global capability in sustainable best practice to deliver Engineering Net Zero.
‘We look forward to working closely with Whitetail Clean Energy to support the development of this new innovative technology and deliver a route to clean and affordable power for the Teesside region.’
Cam Hosie, Chief Executive of 8 Rivers Capital, said: ‘The appointment of Atkins to the Owner’s Engineer role represents another key step towards Whitetail becoming a reality and clearly marks the start of an acceleration in the deployment of NET Power plants in the United Kingdom.
‘Whitetail will provide dispatchable clean power alongside renewable energy to help the UK meet its collective climate goals and we are delighted that Atkins will be working with us on this innovative infrastructure project of national significance.’
Andy Koss, CEO of UK & Middle East, Sembcorp Industries, commented: ‘Whitetail Clean Energy represents a first-of-a-kind carbon capture technology and we are pleased that Atkins will be helping us bring this to Teesside. Whitetail embodies our commitment to reducing the carbon emissions of our power generation assets at Wilton International and to supporting the development of sustainable solutions both in the region and for the UK.
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Richard Seston Andrew Turner
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Tel: +44 1332 22 5660 Tel: +44 7918 92 2202 Tel: +44 7702 96 2043 |
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Notes to editors: ABOUT ATKINS ABOUT 8 RIVERS CAPITAL LLC 8 Rivers is also focusing on developing and deploying technologies for clean hydrogen and ammonia, direct air capture, retrofit carbon capture, sour gas sweetening, and other advanced energy systems. www.8Rivers.com. The Wilton International site on Teesside sits within a hub of decarbonisation innovation. At the site, SEUK provide energy-intensive industrial businesses with combined heat and power (CHP) via a private wire network that supplies electricity generated by gas and biomass. These services are complemented by SEUK’s fleet of fast-acting, decentralised power stations and battery storage sites situated throughout England and Wales. Monitored and controlled from our central operations facility in Solihull, these flexible assets deliver electricity to the national grid, helping to balance the UK energy system and ensure reliable power for homes and businesses. ABOUT SEMBCORP INDUSTRIES Headquartered in Singapore, Sembcorp leverages its sector expertise and global track record to deliver innovative solutions that support the energy transition and sustainable development. By focusing on growing its renewables and integrated urban solutions businesses, it aims to transform its portfolio towards a greener future and be a leading provider of sustainable solutions. Sembcorp has a balanced energy portfolio of over 12,800MW, with more than 3,300MW of renewable energy capacity comprising solar, wind and energy storage globally. The company also has a proven track record of transforming raw land into sustainable urban developments, with a project portfolio spanning over 12,000 hectares across Asia. Sembcorp is listed on the main board of the Singapore Exchange. It is a component stock of the Straits Times Index and sustainability indices including the FTSE4Good Index and the iEdge SG ESG indices. www.sembcorp.com. |