Power from biomass |
Stockholm Exergi backs BECCS: from plan to plant
Stockholm Exergi has decided to go ahead with what is currently the world’s largest BECCS (Bio-Energy Carbon Capture and Storage) facility. Construction is already underway and the goal is to have the capture plant, BECCS Stockholm, operational in 2028
BECCS Stockholm is located in the port area close to the Värtaverket power plant site in Stockholm and will capture CO2
from flue gas produced by
Stockholm Exergi’s biomass fuelled KVV8 CHP plant.
KVV8, commissioned in 2016, is the newest CHP plant at the Värtaverket site, with an installed capacity of 135 MWe/330 MWt. It runs on wood chips derived from forestry and sawmill residues, bark, branches and treetops, and employs a circulating fluidised bed boiler plus automation supplied by Austria based Andritz.
The SEK 13 billion BECCS Stockholm investment decision “marks a major milestone” in enabling permanent CO2
removals and “will
help Sweden and the European Union reach their long-term climate goals,” says Stockholm Exergi.
“We have worked purposefully for many years to make BECCS a reality and…we are moving from plans to action. With this, we assume global leadership in the industry for permanent removals,” says Anders Egelrud, Stockholm Exergi CEO.
The positive investment decision has been made possible through a combination of public support and private purchases of negative emission certificates by companies with ambitious climate targets. The project has received funding from the Swedish government and EUR 180 million from the EU Innovation Fund. It also has long-term offtake commitments from Microsoft (3.33 million tonnes) and Frontier (USD ~50 million) an ‘advance CO2
market
commitment’ group that includes Meta, Stripe, Alphabet, Shopify and McKinsey.
Once completed, the BECCS facility will capture
and permanently store 800 000 tonnes of CO2 annually — more than the emissions from Stockholm’s road traffic over the same period, Stockholm Exergi notes.
The technology selected for capturing CO2 has been in use for many decades observes
Stockholm Exergi, which has operated a test facility since 2019. The storage method is also well-proven and closely monitored to ensure the CO2
is permanently stored in bedrock beneath the seabed where it mineralises over time, the company points out.
Stockholm Exergi will work with Northern Lights as its partner for CO2
transport and
storage. The Värtaverket BECCS investment decision now enables Northern Lights to expand its capacity — an “important step for future negative emissions projects and the foundation for what could become a new industry, positioning the Nordics and Europe as global leaders in this field.”
Saipem of Italy will carry out the detailed EPC
and commissioning of the carbon capture, CO2 storage, and ship loading systems for BECCS Stockholm under a 600 million euro contract with Stockholm Exergi.
Stockholm Exergi, which has a 3000 km district heating network, provides heating, electricity, cooling, and waste services to 800 000 residents of Stockholm. It is owned by the City of Stockholm and Ankhiale, a consortium of leading European pension funds (APG, PGGM, Alecta, Keva and AXA IM Alts).
Capture technology
Upper picture: Stockholm Exergi’s KVV8 biomass fuelled power plant. Lower picture: visualisation of BECCS Stockholm carbon capture facility. Images: Stockholm Exergi
34 | April 2025|
www.modernpowersystems.com
Interestingly, instead of amines, BECCS Stockholm will employ Catacarb Enhanced Hot Potassium Carbonate (HPC) technology for its core capture system, in conjunction with Capsol’s integrated heat recovery “end-of-pipe solution”, CapsolEoP, which aims to maximise heat re-use and reduce costs. While capturing carbon dioxide from flue gas is a relatively new application for Catacarb, the
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