One of Denmark's greenest power plants becomes even greener with carbon capture and storage

27.09.2023

The biomass-fuelled Avedøre power station, south of Copenhagen, is looking to capture a portion of its CO₂ and then store it below the North Sea. COWI supports Ørsted as owner's engineer in capturing approx. 150,000 tonnes CO₂ per year.

AVEDØRE POWER STATION IS FIT FOR THE FUTURE AND IS GETTING EVEN MORE SO! 

As part of Ørsted's green transition, the Avedøre power station has already completely phased out coal and runs on wood pellets and straw. It converts approximately 130,000 tonnes of locally sourced straw into electricity and heat annually. The heat is used in the local district heating grid that provides heat for Greater Copenhagen, and it provides vital and flexible electricity to the Danish grid. 

Now, the newly announced carbon capture project targets the plant's 100 MW straw-fired unit. The process starts with flue gas condensation and carbon capture where the CO₂ is captured, then liquified and transported to another of Ørsted's power stations in Kalundborg. From there, it will be loaded onto ships and transported to the Norwegian part of the North Sea where it will be pumped to an underground storage. The excess heat from the carbon capture process will be utilised in the district heating network, feeding more green heat into the system.

As owner's engineer, COWI supports Ørsted in technical and civil engineering, the process optimisation, sustainability, permitting and the procurement process.

"It's a privilege to work on a project like this, shaping a greener future together with Ørsted. We are excited to meet the challenges and make use of the broad expertise we hold within the industry. CO₂ reduction is a key component in the mission to build a more sustainable future, and this project is a great example of using technology to battle the climate change together and make a green power plant even greener," says Ole Biede, Project Director at COWI's green fuels and energy sector.

The project supports the Danish government's objectives in terms of reducing CO₂ by 3.2 million tonnes by 2030 and is expected to be operational by the end of 2025.