BAT review for Environment Agency’s new BAT guidance

UKCCSRC members Prof Jon Gibbins from the University of Sheffield and Dr Mathieu Lucquiaud from the University of Edinburgh have prepared a BAT review, which has in turn fed into the Environment Agency’s new guidance, Best Available Technique (BAT) guidance for Post-Combustion Carbon Dioxide Capture Using Amine-Based Technologies for Power and CHP Plants Fuelled by Gas and Biomass, published on gov.uk on 2nd July 2021.

These documents cover what are currently assessed as the best methods for preventing or minimising emissions and impacts on the environment from the next generation of amine-based technologies to capture CO₂ from the new or existing power and CHP (or  combined heat and power) plants.  These are expected to be key elements in the UK’s first CCUS clusters.  Gas plants can provide dispatchable electricity to give secure electricity supplies.  Biomass energy with CCS (BECCS) can provide ‘carbon dioxide removal’, CDR, from the air to give indirect capture of emissions from hard-to-tackle sources such as agriculture and air transport.

This guidance is specifically for:

• Operators when designing their plants and preparing their application for an environmental permit
• Environment Agency staff when setting conditions in environmental permits
• Any other organisation or members of the public who want to understand how the environmental regulations and standards are being applied

See more information on BAT-related activities on this page, including:

• Hydrogen Production from Methane with CCS – Possible Near-Term Technologies for the UK
  An expert workshop held on Thursday 16th July 2020
• BAT Review for New-Build and Retrofit Post-Combustion Carbon Dioxide Capture Using Amine-Based Technologies for Power and CHP Plants Fuelled by Gas and Biomass as an Emerging Technology under the IED for the UK
  Published 1st July 2021

Participation by a wide range of stakeholders, including a special working group set up by the CCSA, was particularly valuable for getting a comprehensive range of inputs in this emerging field.