Entropy sees 93% capture rate at Glacier CCS

Canadian carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) developer Entropy said June 5 it had achieved a 93% capture rate from Phase 1a of its Glacier modular CCS project in Alberta, capturing and storing the equivalent of 12,267 metric tons/year of CO₂.

Initial high-performance benchmarks at Phase 1a were established in February, after which Entropy began a multi-month optimisation protocol designed to increase the efficiency of its modular CCS system.

Over that period, Phase 1a delivered 93% of budgeted capture capacity, despite operational intermittency at the Glacier gas plant, west of Edmonton, which is operated by Entropy’s parent company, Advantage Energy. The testing protocol reinforced the global efficiency benchmark of 2.4 GJ/metric tonne at a 90% capture rate from a flue gas comprised of 5.2% CO₂.

An optimal operating range between 90% and 93% capture rates was established, with stable capture rates as high as 98%.

“Based on current performance, Entropy remains on track to achieve operating costs of approximately C$27/metric ton at Glacier for Phase 1 and C$22/mt upon completion of Phase 2, including capture, compression, transportation and storage,” Entropy said.

It is on track to commission Phase 1b at Glacier in Q4 2023, which would be the first deployment of its Integrated Carbon Capture and Storage (iCCS) technology, which integrates CCS technology into the design and fabrication of new industrial engines and boilers. iCCS is expected to reduce total installed capture costs by between 20% and 25% when compared to retrofits of similar units.

Once commissioned, Phase 1b will have the capacity to capture an additional 16,000 mt/yr from a new 5,000 hp gas-fired compressor engine, bringing the total emissions abatement for Glacier Phase 1 to approximately 60,000 mt/yr, including avoided combustion. Total installed cost of Phase 1b is expected to be C$13.7mn.

Phase 2 at Glacier, which would capture an additional 137,000 mt/yr of CO₂ at a cost of about C$100mn, remains shovel-ready, Entropy says, but a final investment decision won’t be made until it has clarity on Canada’s federal investment tax credit for CCS and its carbon contract-for-differences protocol.

Meanwhile, Entropy continues to progress multiple agreements and memoranda of understanding with emitters in the US, where incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are much more attractive. Projects under development in the US now involve the potential to capture more than 1mn mt/yr of CO₂ from gas-fired power generation, steam generation and compression in Texas, California and Pennsylvania, Entropy said.