Melbourne, 16 June 2008
Gasification technology developed by Siemens has for the first time been selected for a project in Australia. Australian Energy Company (AEC) Ltd, an independent project development company, has acquired a license for two 500-megawatt coal gasifiers.
The two gasifiers are destined for a fertiliser plant in Latrobe Valley, Victoria, where they are to be used to convert lignite to ammonia. In an adjacent plant the ammonia will be used to produce the fertiliser urea. After commissioning in 2012, the plant will have an annual production capacity of approximately 1.2 million tonnes of urea.
The fertiliser production plant is located in the vicinity of the Loy Yang mine and will use the extensive lignite available there as feedstock for fertiliser production. As of 2015, a second phase of the project makes provision for the carbon dioxide generated during fertiliser production to be transported via a pipeline for storage in the carbon dioxide dumps in Bass Strait.
"We have opted for Siemens gas gasification technology because it is easy to operate and very robust. It is particularly well suited to the grade of coal mined at Loy Yang," said Allan Blood, Chairman of AEC.
"Our technology is first choice for such applications because it was specially developed for the conversion of lignite containing salt," explained Guido Schuld, head of Siemens Fuel Gasification Technology.
"Siemens Fuel Gasification Technology is part of the Siemens Energy Sector. Siemens entrained flow gasification technology, with its characteristic cooling screen, has been continuously developed over a period spanning more than thirty years. The technology can be used for a wide range of fuels and is characterised by high conversion rates, high availability and low maintenance," said Mr Schuld.