Fuel Cell Power Station Proposed for U.K.

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--An alliance of three energy companies in the U.K. has announced plans to construct a 300-megawatt (MW) power station based on hydrogen fuel cell technology.

Clean energy provider B9 Coal Limited (London, England), Powerfuel Power Limited (Stainforth, England) and hydrogen fuel cell manufacturer AFC Energy plc (LSE:AFC) (Cranleigh, Surrey, England) have signed a binding letter of intent to install AFC's fuel cell technology at Powerfuel's Hatfield site, which is near Doncaster, Yorkshire. Powerfuel previously had received the green light from the government to build a 900-MW integrated coal-gasification gas-fired power station on the site of Hatfield Colliery.

A joint venture between B9 Coal and Powerfuel will be formed to develop low-carbon fuel cell power stations throughout the U.K., with the first 300-MW facility targeted for Powerfuel's Hatfield site. The agreement also allows for the rollout of the technology to other countries.

"This business venture with Powerfuel is a wonderful opportunity for fuel cell technology on both a local and global scale," said Alisa Murphy, the director of B9 Coal. "Together, we can offer a technically advanced solution to the problem of rising carbon emissions, as well as a practical and commercial template for clean energy generation. In the pursuit of a low-carbon future, innovative ventures such as these will lie at the heart of a sustainable energy mix."

This is the second project collaboration between B9 and AFC Energy in recent months. In August, B9 entered the U.K. government's carbon capture and storage competition by revealing a 500-MW project at the coal-fired Lynemouth Power Plant in Northumberland. B9 Coal, AFC Energy and Australian clean-coal technology developer Linc Energy Limited (ASX:LNC) (Brisbane, Australia) are proposing to use a combination of underground coal gasification and alkaline fuel cells to reduce carbon emissions by more than 90% and generate electricity from the captured hydrogen. For additional information, see August 31, 2010, article - B9 Coal Enters U.K. Carbon Capture Competition.

The new Hatfield project will see Powerfuel construct an 800-MW combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) facility optimised for "syngas" conversion and operation. Powerfuel then plans to convert the CCGT plant into a 900-MW IGCC power station fuelled by its extensive coal resources at the Hatfield colliery. The syngas used in the plant will be passed through a clean-up process to produce hydrogen as a feedstock for AFC Energy's low cost alkaline fuel cells. The technology converts hydrogen to clean electricity with a claimed efficiency rating of 60%.

"This landmark agreement provides further market validation for our low-cost, low-carbon fuel cell technology in large scale power generation projects," said Ian Balchin, CEO of AFC Energy. "Combined with growing opportunities in the industrial and waste-to energy sectors, we believe it is truly transitional: solving the carbon conundrum of fossil fuels, whilst enabling the renewable energy economy."

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