ExxonMobil has revealed it will be taking a larger role in the proposed Acorn carbon capture project in Scotland by signing an expression of interest to capture, transport and store carbon dioxide from its Fife ethylene plant.
Credit: Jonathan Weiss / Shutterstock
The agreement to include the ethylene plant, located in Mossmorran, Scotland, is in addition to an earlier announced memorandum of understanding to capture and store emissions from gas terminals at the St Fergus complex at Peterhead, Scotland, which includes ExxonMobil’s joint venture gas terminal.
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The initial phase of Acorn, which is bidding to be in the first wave of carbon capture clusters to be announced by the UK government, has the potential to deliver more than half of the country’s target of capturing and storing 10 million metric tonnes of carbon per year of by 2030.
When expanded further, it will have the potential to store more than 20 million metric tonnes per year of carbon dioxide by the mid-2030s.
“The application of carbon capture and storage technology at the Fife Ethylene Plant demonstrates our commitment to reducing carbon emissions from the industrial sector,” said Joe Blommaert, president of ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions.
“With the right government policies in place and industry collaboration, the carbon capture and storage opportunities we are evaluating, such as in Scotland, have the potential to move forward with current technologies for large-scale, game-changing emissions reductions", he added.
The Acorn project recently announced plans to capture and store carbon dioxide from the Grangemouth Refinery, and the addition of Mossmorran facilities will help Scotland reduce emissions in its industrial sector.
Martin Burrell, the manager of the Fife plant, said: “The Acorn project has the potential to capture and store carbon emissions from Scotland’s largest industrial centre, which is an economic engine for the country.
“This agreement allows us to explore the potential for significant emissions reduction through carbon capture and storage, and ensure Scotland continues to benefit from vital manufacturing facilities such as Fife.”
The Fife Ethylene Plant recently completed a $170 million (£140 million) investment programme to upgrade key infrastructure and introduce new technologies that will significantly improve operational reliability and performance.
A further project is underway to install an enclosed ground flare. On schedule to be operational by the end of 2022, the unit is designed to significantly reduce noise, light and vibration, and it is estimated the investment will reduce the use of the plant’s elevated flare by at least 98%.
These investments, together with ExxonMobil’s participation in the Acorn project, demonstrate a commitment to reducing emissions and to Fife’s future as a competitive asset.
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ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions is evaluating several other carbon capture and storage projects around the world, including in Rotterdam, Netherlands; Normandy, France; LaBarge, Wyoming; and a world-scale carbon capture and storage hub concept in Houston, Texas.
The company has an equity share in approximately one-fifth of global carbon capture capacity and claims to have captured approximately 40% of all the captured anthropogenic carbon in the world.
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