China completed construction of its largest carbon capture and storage plant as the country continues to develop technologies necessary to meeting its climate goals.
China Energy Investment Corp. finished production of the plant Jan. 21 at its Guohua Jinjie coal power station in Shaanxi province. It’s currently in its debugging phase, and once put into operation will be able to prevent 150,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year at a 90% capture rate, according to the China Electricity Council.
It’s a minnow compared to some of the largest operations in the world, which strip carbon dioxide from oil and natural gas wells and reinject it to boost output. Exxon Mobil Corp.’s Shute Creek plant can capture 7.4 million tons a year, while Occidental Petroleum Corp.’s Century facility can handle 5 million, according to the Global CCS Institute.
The largest power plant facility is at Boundary Dam in Canada, with an estimated capacity of 1 million tons a year, according to the Institute database. CEIC’s plant is about the same design size as a carbon capture facility that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and others built at an Alabama power station in 2011.