Southern licenses advanced "clean coal" technology to China power plant

US utility company Southern Co said yesterday that it will license its coal gasification technology for use at an existing power plant in China.

Southern's transport integrated gasification (TRIG) technology will be implemented at a 120MW facility in Guangdong province operated by Chinese utility Dongguan Tianming Electric Power.

TRIG is an advanced integrated gasification combined cycle technology that converts coal to synthetic gas – removing particulate matter such as mercury and sulphur pollutants in the process – before being burned in a combustion turbine to produce electricity.

Southern claims that TRIG is a more cost-effective technique than conventional synthetic gas technologies because it uses air, rather than pure oxygen, in the gasification process and can utilise lower-grade sub-bituminous and lignite coals, which are abundant in China.

TRIG technology will be applied to Dongguan Tianming's combined cycle plant so that it can use synthetic gas from coal as an energy source, in place of fuel oil, said Southern. Commercial operation is expected by 2011.

TRIG was developed by Southern and Houston-based engineering and construction firm KBR. The China deal calls for the two companies to provide with licensing, engineering and equipment for TRIG technology at the Guangdong power plant. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"China's rapid growth vividly demonstrates the global need for advanced technologies to ensure reliable, affordable and cleaner supplies of energy," said Southern chief executive David Ratcliffe.

According to the company, the Dongguan Tianming facility will be the first commercial implementation of TRIG technology, which reduced carbon emissions by 20 to 25 per cent compared to conventional coal plants.

Southern is the latest firm to sign a deal for so-called "clean coal" technology in China in recent weeks. Royal Dutch Shell last week partnered with the nation's largest coal producer, Shenhua Group, to jointly develop advanced coal liquefaction techniques.

Meanwhile, Duke Energy last month signed a memorandum of understanding with one of China's biggest electricity firms, China Huaneng Group, for the mutual sharing of information on energy technologies, particularly in the area of "clean coal".