Big coal power unit planned for Germany’s Krefeld chempark

26 June 2009 16:23  [Source: ICIS news]

TORONTO (ICIS news)--German power utility firm Trianol plans to build a 750 megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant at the Krefeld-Uerdingen chemical production park in the country's North-Rhine Westphalia state by 2014/2015, a spokesman said on Friday.

Construction of the €1bn ($1.4bn) project was expected to start in 2010, following a positive decision to back the plant this week by the Krefeld city council, Trianol spokesman Elmar Thyen told ICIS news.

The plant would supply about 200MW to chemical producers operating at Krefeld-Uerdingen, with the remaining power going to other users. It would also supply steam to the chemical firms, Thyen said.

Currently, chemical producers at Krefeld - which include Bayer, Lanxess and Tronox - were sourcing part of their power from an old and smaller power plant at the site, with the remaining requirements being supplied by off-site providers, he said.

The new power plant would help maintain Kredfeld-Uerdingen as a competitive and attractive chemical production site.

Thyen said the project could be fitted with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, when available. However, it would go ahead even without CCS, he said.

Commenting on Germany’s failure this week to agree on a bill that was to provide a regulatory framework for CCS’ development, Thyen said his firm expected the measure to be reintroduced following federal elections on 27 September.

In related news, German chemical and energy union IG BCE said Berlin’s failure to agree the CCS legislation was an irresponsible setback for the country’s industrial development and for climate protection.

The legislative delay had made it much harder for firms to make needed investments in the technology, and it may also jeopardise EU funding for such projects, outgoing IG BCE leader Hubertus Schmoldt said.

Germany has a 30MW CCS pilot facility near Spremberg in Brandenburg state. The project at Schwarze Pumpe was built by Sweden’s electricity generator Vattenfall.

($1 = €0.71)

For more on Bayer, Lanxess, Tronox and other producers visit ICIS company intelligence
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By: Stefan Baumgarten
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