Most people are familiar with Consumer Reports, the world renowned, heavily researched resource that helps consumers make informed and efficient purchasing decisions.  We know that Consumer Reports has done the work for us; researching every brand, testing every product and un-biasedly taking the guess-work out of the consumer equation.  Taking the time to draw on the experts before making a purchase is a secure decision, generating a good experience with positive outcomes that saves valuable time and money.
 
While there aren’t yet enough carbon capture and storage (CCS) plants that have been built for anyone to have that same level of expertise for the CCS industry, the International CCS Knowledge Centre draws the closest comparison. We are the only organization that offers intelligence sharing, based on full-chain (capture through storage capabilities); a 2nd generation feasibility study; and large-scale operating experiences. Our role is to help you be an intelligent CCS consumer; defining a pathway to a successful project by supporting you to ask the right questions and make informed decisions - as you move through the engineering, procurement and project development phases.  And like Consumer Reports, the best time to get us involved is first thing, well in advance of pre-feasibility, to help you get in front of potential detours and delays. 
 

Avoid the Classic DIY Pitfall

DIY (do it yourself) projects work well for some things but not for CCS plants.  There have been instances where companies have embarked down the CCS path on their own, only to discover late in the game that they were not as well equipped to see it through as they had expected.  Underestimating the complexity of a project is a classic DIY pitfall.   
 
For instance, we often see projects that start by first selecting a single technology vendor. This early narrowing of options may seem prudent to control costs and may appear to show significant progress.  However, deciding on a technology provider is a bit like a marriage, and the consequences of rushing in and choosing an incorrect partner can lead to misery, or failure.  Alternatively, when working with the expertise of the International CCS Knowledge Centre, you will advance your goals and control costs while keeping your options open, making the right choices for the right “happily ever after”. 
 

Cultivate Momentum 

Projects often begin with strength and seemingly with endurance. However, nothing can kill a project faster than a loss of momentum. Key reasons projects fail can be attributed to a lack of funding, technology problems, change of government, external economic factors and human resource capacity to name a few. It is all too common for a feasibility study to be completed that doesn’t include a plan to progress the project to the next phase, inevitably causing the project to be shelved permanently.  
 
There are many aspects within a CCS project that need examining to support its advancement through the project phases and approvals - from economic realities, energy mixes, and proximity to storage or enhance oil recovery (EOR) sites, to policy incentive or regulation governance. 
 
With our experienced-based knowledge, we know where the pivotal funding and resource injection points are in a CCS timeline.  Identifying this will help you avoid any loss of momentum and get your project to the next phase. Diving deeper, some other key ways that we help projects succeed include:
  • Advising on contract methodology including outlining critical contract terms that fit within your risk tolerance capacity, helping you to de-risk your project. 
  • Knowing how to best prioritize and troubleshoot the inevitable issues that emerge during commissioning and operations, to achieve optimal performance of the capture facility.
  • Understanding the intrinsic factors that impact capture processes of the flue gas constituents, including emitted combustion products, such as: fly ash, nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx), other particulates and trace matter. 
  • Understanding the impact of changes in fuel quality and composition on the capture facility performance.
  • Developing performance simulation models, including appropriate data collection, to predict future performance, including changes in process units and incorporation of new technologies.
  • Balancing business and regulatory priorities to assure economic and environmental key performance metrics are achieved.
  • Understanding the potential to selling by-products associated with capture systems.
  • Insight to managing stakeholder and shareholder expectations, including proactive communication strategies.
 

Access Hands-On Experience

We know CCS. We know how to navigate its complexities. The technical experts at the Knowledge Centre were part of the committed team who embarked on the ground-breaking path to apply amine-based CCS technology, at a commercial scale.  Their work was instrumental in developing the world’s first commercial scale carbon capture facility on a post-combustion coal-fired power plant at SaskPower’s Boundary Dam Power Station (BD3).   Within seven years, SaskPower went from choosing a technology that was not yet commercially demonstrated, to turning on the retrofitted BD3 unit and its carbon capture facility in 2014. Since then the BD3 CCS Facility continues to improve its operations with over 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 captured and stored.  Building on the lessons learned, the team recently spearheaded the acclaimed Shand CCS Feasibility Study . This 2nd generation CCS study shows capital cost reductions of 67% per tonne of CO2 captured as well as 92% in potential savings to power plant integration capital costs.  The study also explores a hybrid heat rejections system that uses a combination of flue gas sourced water for evaporative cooling, and direct air cooling in order to achieve a cost-effective cooling system that requires no new water and eliminates a waste stream.  
 
Work with us and secure decades of hard-won, CCS experience that cannot be replicated quickly or easily. With no membership required in our non-profit, we are highly accessible.  Our interest is to provide value - to help you build your capacity by letting you decide how much of our input is required by your project team.  
 
Engage early – this will ensure your project has the highest probability for long-term success.