E.ON Benelux

• Organisation
• Vision and mission
• Management
• Supervisory board
• Structure
• Generation sites
• Annual report
• History
• Social responsibility
• Sponsoring
• Media
• General conditions of purchase
• Working for E.ON
• Contact
• New power plant
• Energy in the Netherlands
• The environment in the Netherlands (air emissions)
• E.ON policy
• The sustainability triangle
• Coal or gas?
• Innovation
• The new power station
• Type of power station
• Time path
• Environment
• Maasvlakte
• News
• Permit procedure
• Any questions

CATO

E.ON Benelux’s existing power station on the Maasvlakte (EFM 1/2) is to be the site of a test installation to capture CO2 from flue gases from industrial installations.
This installation is part of the CATO-project which is a nationwide initiative to cluster and boost knowledge around reduction of CO2 emissions.

This sub-project at E.ON aims to test new methods and technology for capture CO2 from flue gases under realistic process conditions with operational coal-fired power stations. Testing can also cover the reliability of process modules previously developed on the basis of laboratory research at TNO.

‘Post-combustion capture’
The E.ON sub-project focuses on ‘post-combustion capture’, whereby CO2 from flue gases from the installation are removed using membranes or solvents (aqueous solutions of amino compounds). The sub-project is coordinated by TNO which also makes a significant knowledge contribution. Among other things TNO houses the laboratory tests for the methods; these will be carried out by E.ON on a larger scale in 2008.

For the purposes of the test project TNO and E.ON Benelux are to build a test station at the coal-fired powered station on the Maasvlakte; this will painstakingly test the performance of CO2-capture techniques. Requests have already been made for environmental and construction permits. Expectations are that construction can start-up in summer 2007. The installation will go online in at the begin of 2008. Testing will cover membrane modules and means of absorption. To this end the installation will extract a small part of flue gasses from the power station stack for treatment.

CATO
The CATO programme is developing knowledge required for a strong reduction of CO2 issues due to burning of fossil fuels – notably in power stations and large-scale industrial processes. Alongside the various methods CO2 capture there are also sub-projects focusing on transportation and storage of CO2. The investment around the entire programme totals just over € 25 million. Half of this comes from government grants, specifically from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. By bringing together a large body of partners including TNO, universities, corporations and environmental organisations, CATO is the most important initiative in the field of clean use of fossil fuels in The Netherlands.

E.ON innovation
E.ON is an ongoing investor in innovative development. Hence, MPP3’s yield is some 20 percent higher than coal-fired power stations built to date. This means an approx. 20% drop in CO2-emissions per kilowatt hour. To read on for more on E.ON’s innovation programme click here.