China Energy Conservation & Environmental Protection Group plans to build a clean coal plant in Inner Mongolia in partnership with Seamwell International Ltd. The state owned project developer and the West Yorkshire, UK-based firm will collaborate on the $1.5 billion project.
The will construct the electric power plant that will harvest energy from the gasified coal available underground. The plant on the YiHe Coal Field will be the first commercial plant of this size in the world as per a company statement issued by Seamwell International.
Mathew Idiens the president of the Normanton based Seamwell International said that the power plant would begin production by 2014 end or beginning 2015. It is said to be capable of generating 1,000 megawatts of electricity for 25 years.
The contracts for the power plant joint venture will be signed at a UK/China summit being attended by both Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and UK Prime Minister David Cameron. The process of electricity generation will include drilling down to the seam of coal then igniting it and injecting it with air, oxygen or steam to create synthesis gas. This will be pumped out and cleaned before being used by a combined cycle power plant above ground.
The project is part of China’s efforts to move towards clean fuel. The country is proposing to cut its carbon emission by 40% by 2020 from the levels that were present in 2005. It wants to meet its growing energy needs with cleaner choices. Mr Idiens said that the intention was to build more power plants of a similar type, and to roll the technology out onto additional coal fields.