The continued development of the so-called "Post-combustion" process is also an important building block on the way to an environmentally friendly future for energy supply. In this process, the CO₂ is removed from the flue gas of a conventional power plant making its exhaust almost CO₂-free.

 

E.ON’s strategy is to discover which of the post combustion processes will be competitive in the long run compared to other capture processes. Because of this a broad screening and assessment process of all possibilities is in progress involving all of E.ON’s market units.

 

E.ON Nordic is collaborating with Alstom in the construction of a pilot plant using their proprietary "Chilled Ammonia Process" to wash CO₂ out of flue gases from oil- and gas-fired combustion processes (Karlshamn power station). In addition, E.ON is involved via its EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute) membership in the erection of a similar pilot plant at a coal-fired power station in the USA. E.ON is also engaged in an EU-funded project known as CASTOR, which is testing an amine-based scrubbing process. E.ON Benelux is hosting a small pilot scrubber/stripper unit that will be fed by a slip stream of flue gas from the Maasvlakte power plant. Start-up of operation is scheduled for mid 2008.

 

Capturing and containing CO₂ requires improvements in the technologies and absorbers. E.ON is planning to build pilot systems at its own power plant sites — such test systems being scheduled to start by 2010. The construction of a larger and improved system is planned which will then deliver CO₂ for long-term underground storage. The captured CO₂ will be stored in a pilot system as early as 2014.