NorthStar Clean Energy has awarded a contract to Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) for the company to carry out a Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) engineering study with a view to converting a coal-fired power plant located in Michigan, USA, to operate using biomass fuel. The plant will also be retrofitted with B&W’s SolveBright CO2 capture process.

The study forms the first part of a commercial-scale project partially funded by the US Department of Energy. Babcock & Wilcox Construction will manage the construction and mechanical scope of the study and the commercial phase.

As part of the project, NorthStar Clean Energy will convert the 75MW TES Filer City Station power station in Filer City, Michigan, to use sustainable biomass as a fuel to eliminate CO2 emissions.

NorthStar Clean Energy and Tondu jointly own the plant, and CO2 generated at the site would be captured using B&W’s SolveBright post-combustion CO2 scrubbing process. Once the biomass and carbon capture conversion is complete, the power station will be capable of providing power to over 70,000 homes while producing net-negative CO2 emissions.

“BECCS projects hold tremendous potential in helping the world achieve a goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050,” commented Joe Buckler, B&W senior vice president, Clean Energy. “Capturing CO2 from biomass combustion allows a plant to generate energy and be a net-negative emitter of greenhouse gases. This in turn allows the plant owner to offset emissions from other sources such as through the sale and trade of carbon credits.”

Buckler added, “For post-combustion carbon capture, B&W offers pre-treatment technologies to clean the flue gas prior to carbon capture and our SolveBright process that can be tailored to support the preferred solvent of our customers.”

“NorthStar Clean Energy brings our expertise and creativity to help our clients reach their decarbonization and business goals quickly,” said Brian Hartmann, president, NorthStar Clean Energy. “The Filer City carbon capture project is a prime example of how we can use innovation to make that happen. We look forward to partnering with B&W to showcase this technology’s potential in Michigan.”