Kent: Isle of Grain power plant launches carbon capture project

The captured gas would be cooled, compressed and liquified before being stored in the seabed

A gas power plant on Kent's Isle of Grain is retrofitting three turbines to help tackle climate change by capturing carbon dioxide (CO2).

The technology to remove climate-damaging gases from industrial sites is seen by many scientists as important in reducing emissions to net zero.

Energy firm Uniper, which runs the plant, has asked two companies to create plans to deliver the project.

Uniper said it was a "significant milestone".

Carbon capture has the potential to remove two million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere per year, said Uniper.

The process redirects exhaust gases produced by the power plant units towards a new capture plant at the existing power station.

The captured gas would then be cooled, compressed and liquified before being taken for permanent offshore storage in the seabed.

Ian Rogers, head of asset improvement and making net zero probable for Uniper, said the scheme would help meet the firm's "strategy to generate more than 80% of our installed power capacity from carbon free sources by 2030."

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