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NET Power claims zero-carbon gas generation breakthrough


USA Emissions abatement On 16 November, NET Power, a clean energy company whose technology is said to affordably generate zero-emission electricity from natural gas, announced that it had delivered electricity to the ERCOT grid from its 50 MWt test facility in La Porte, Texas. This is thought to be the first time anywhere in the world this kind of generation has been achieved, and is expected to represent a major milestone for the energy industry. NET Power’s technology, which employs the Allam-Fetvedt cycle, burns natural gas in an


oxyfuel combustor and uses supercritical CO2 as its working fluid to generate electricity, while inherently capturing CO2


, has now been


validated in its delivery of electricity to the grid. This industry-changing achievement is expected to accelerate the commercialisation of a game-changing technology.


“This is a Wright-brothers-first-flight kind of breakthrough for energy – zero-emission, low-cost electricity delivered to the grid from natural gas-fuelled technology,” said NET Power CEO Ron DeGregorio. “Now we can … accelerate development of commercial NET


Power projects around the world that are urgently needed to help achieve aggressive climate targets at an affordable price.” NET Power says it is working with multiple clients worldwide to develop utility-scale power plants, with initial projects aiming to come online in the next five years. All CO2


captured


by these plants will be permanently stored or utilised. NET Power projects have been publicly announced for locations in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. NET Power’s technology combusts natural gas with oxygen, instead of air, and uses supercritical carbon dioxide as a working fluid to drive a turbine, rather than steam. The technology does not produce any NOx particulates, and the residual CO2


, SOx or is pipeline-


quality, to either be stored in underground geologic formations or utilised for industrial processes.


Toshiba supplied the combustor and turbine for the La Porte test facility and was a key partner in the demonstration of NET Power’s technology. ● Supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2


) is a fluid state of carbon dioxide where it is held Gas O2 CO2


recycle flow


Air ASU 7


ASU intercooling 6


Heat exchanger


H e


4 5


High pressure CO2 for pipeline


1 fuel combustion 2 carbon dioxide turbine 3 heat rejection 4 water separation


5 CO2 compression and pumping


6 additional (low temp) heat input 7 heat recuperation


separator H2O


Water s


2 1


Oxyfuel combustor


Turbine Power


Po 3 Co Cooling 5


CO2 stream Tu


The Allam– Fetvedt cycle


at or above its critical temperature and critical pressure. If the temperature and pressure are both increased to a point at or above the critical point for carbon dioxide, it can adopt properties midway between a gas and a liquid.


EIA expects volatile US gas prices this winter USA Gas supplies


After extremely cold weather in February led to lower-than-average natural gas storage levels in the USA through the summer, concerns about winter weather are contributing to volatile natural gas prices as the winter heating season begins. In its November Short-Term Energy Outlook the US Energy Information Administration estimates that US natural gas storage levels had built to within 3% of the previous five-year average at the end of October.


“Mild weather has limited natural gas consumption and helped bring our storage levels closer to average in recent weeks, but


cold winter weather could continue to put upward pressure on prices,” said EIA acting administrator Steve Nalley. “Winter temperatures will be the key driver of natural gas demand, inventories, and ultimately prices.” Despite relatively high gas prices, the US electric power sector continues to use significant amounts of natural gas for generation. In addition, EIA estimates that US natural gas exports in the form of LNG averaged 9.8 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in October, which is 37% above the October 2020 level, and are essentially at capacity. US natural gas exports will most likely remain close to capacity for the remainder of this year and in


2022 to meet global demand.


Other highlights from November’s STEO include a report on spot prices for Brent crude oil, which averaged $84 per barrel in October, a $9 increase from September. EIA expects prices to average $82 per barrel in the fourth quarter and $72 in 2022.


EIA estimates 18% more coal will be used to generate electricity in the United States in 2021 than in 2020, breaking a long-standing trend. The power sector’s increased use of coal in a reaction to significantly higher natural gas prices. EIA also estimates that coal exports will increase 29% this year because of similar dynamics in global electricity generation.


New initiative to explore carbon storage off Norway


Norway Carbon storage Storegga, a UK company specialising in carbon reduction and removal, has entered into an agreement with Sval Energi to explore joint business opportunities for carbon storage on the Norwegian continental shelf. The purpose of the agreement is to establish a common platform to secure the award of CO2


storage licences by identifying carbon storage opportunities and


building a robust business case. Storegga and Sval believe their


complementary skills and expertise position the alliance at the forefront of exploration for CO2


storage projects in Norway. Storegga is lead developer on the Acorn CCS project, said to be on of the most advanced large-scale CCS projects in Europe.


Nick Cooper, Storegga CEO, commented: 4 | November/December 2021 | www.modernpowersystems.com


“We look forward to building a strong partnership … the CCS value chain starts with secure geological storage and then building the infrastructure to provide emitters with the access to carbon sequestration. As like-minded organisations, Sval and Storegga share a vision to make this happen.” Nikolai Lyngø, CEO at Sval Energi, said: “This agreement will help mature decarbonisation initiatives in Norway.”


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