SK E&S is partnering with Honeywell UOP, a large U.S. petrochemical technology company, to build a demonstration facility for carbon capture at a natural gas power plant.
SK E&S, which is promoting low-carbon LNG production by applying carbon capture and storage (CCS) for the first time in Korea, aims to contribute to global net-zero by practicing carbon reduction in the power generation sector as well.
On September 26, SK E&S announced that it recently signed a joint development agreement with Honeywell UOP to build a carbon capture demonstration plant. Through the agreement, the two companies plan to launch a basic design (FEED) for the construction of a carbon capture demonstration plant and discuss commercialization of the jointly developed carbon capture technology.
SK E&S will provide one of its power plant sites for the demonstration plant and perform various permits and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC), while Honeywell UOP will provide its Advanced Solvent Carbon Capture (ASCC) technology to SK E&S and participate in technology development, including process efficiency improvement.
Honeywell UOP is a subsidiary of Honeywell, a global company specializing in aerospace and energy and environmental technologies, with more than 4,900 patents in the energy, petroleum, and chemical sectors.
In particular, Honeywell UOP's ASCC, which can capture more than 95% of the CO₂ in the exhaust emitted after combustion of fossil fuels, is considered a technology that will contribute significantly to carbon reduction in the global power generation sector in the future.
The CO₂ concentration in the exhaust gas emitted during natural gas power generation is about 4%, which is significantly lower than coal-fired power generation (12-14%), but for this reason, it requires more energy to capture CO₂.
For this reason, global companies are racing to develop energy-efficient capture technologies, and Honeywell UOP's ASCC has been recognized for its technology by recording the lowest energy consumption in a demonstration conducted by the U.S. National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC).
SK E&S is developing the Barossa gas field in Australia to produce the country's first low-carbon LNG using CCS technology and plans to continue its carbon reduction efforts in the power generation sector based on this partnership with Honeywell UOP.
"Our collaboration with SK E&S marks a significant milestone in natural gas power plant carbon reduction," said Barry Glickman, Vice President, Honeywell UOP. "We look forward to making ASCC technology a key part of the energy transition in Korea and Asia."
"Our collaboration with Honeywell UOP, with its internationally recognized technology, will help SK E&S achieve its green portfolio," said Cha Tae-byung, Head of SK E&S Net Zero Technology Center. "We will contribute to carbon reduction in the power generation sector by commercializing carbon capture for natural gas power plants."
The National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) is a U.S. government-funded demonstration center for carbon capture technology that was established in 1995 and has conducted more than 50 carbon capture technology demonstrations around the world.
