# The facility is a 1 MWt pilot plant integrated into the La Pereda thermal plant, designed to treat up to 2,600 m3/h of combustion gases and with a capture capacity of 8 tonnes of CO2 per day, with efficiency of around 90%.

# The project is sponsored by the Seventh European Framework Project in the area of energy and has a budget of more than Euro 6.8 million.

ENDESA, in partnership with Hunosa and the Spanish Scientific Research Council (CSIC), has started construction of a 1-MW carbon capture pilot plant in La Pereda (Mieres, Asturias), integrated into the La Pereda thermal plant owned by HUNOSA.

The project is part of the cooperation agreement between ENDESA, Hunosa and CSIC for the development of CO2 capture technology using limestone as a sorbent.

The aim of the project is to build a pilot plant that will demonstrate the technical viability of this capture technology, which is cheaper than other alternatives. The carbon institute of the CSIC has been studying this technology for a number of years, obtaining promising results in the laboratory. This project represents the next stage in the technology’s development.

The plant will consist of two interconnected 15-metre-high circulating fluidised bed reactors. In the calcination reactor, the limestone will decompose into calcium oxide and highly concentrated CO2. The calcium oxide is despatched to the carbonisation reactor, where it reacts with the combustion gases, capturing the CO2 to reform limestone.

The plant is designed to treat up to 2,600 m3/h of combustion gases and will have a capture capacity of 8 tonnes of CO2 per day, with efficiency of around 90%. The plant is slated to start up in early 2011. Testing will last almost a year, during which time the commercial viability of the technology will be assessed.

The project is sponsored by the Seventh European Framework Project in the area of energy and has a budget of more than Euro 6.8 million. In addition to ENDESA, CSIC and Hunosa, the project also involves Foster Wheeler Energía, which is acting as the chief technologist for the development of the engineering of the 1MWt plant, and another four European and Canadian research centres. These four centres will provide scientific expertise, collaborating on basic and experimental research.

This initiative forms part of ENDESA’s commitment to spearheading a new, global and sustainable energy model in its target markets via five key lines of action: renewable energies; new technological developments which help lower CO2 emissions, energy efficiency and cogeneration opportunities, a sustainable transmission model and offsetting of emissions via a CDM portfolio. To this end, ENDESA is currently involved in the development of seven CCS-related R&D projects. The company is also present in the European Zero Emissions Platform (ZEP), Eurelectric, the Spanish CO2 platform CO2 (PTECO2), the Spanish CO2 Association (AECO2) and headed the CENIT– CO2 project, which was sponsored by the CDTI and involved a large number of Spanish companies.