Innovations

That coal will go on being a central component in power generation in the decades to come has been confirmed in comprehensive studies by reputable institutes, like Basel-based PROGNOS AG or the Institute of Energy Economics at the University of Cologne.
Viewed against this backdrop, our strategy is to make power generation from coal more efficient and to lower CO₂ emissions in the long run. At our Coal Innovation Centre in Niederaussem, a prototype plant is examining the possibility of increasing the efficiency of future lignite-fired power plants by 10% by using lignite dried in the so-called fluidized-bed process (WTA). And we are working on solutions for CO₂ capture and storage/usage (CCS/CCU) technologies: for existing power stations, we are developing so-called CO₂-scrubbing systems as a retrofit option. With our algae project, which is unique worldwide, we are exploring the possibility of binding CO₂ in microalgae and using the result as biomass.
In Hürth, we intend to commission the world's first climate-friendly coal-based power plant with CO₂ capture, transport and storage – a project in which we are investing more than one billion euros.
At international level, too, we are involved in climate-protection projects: in developing countries and emerging markets, we are investing € 150 million in CDM/JI. Within the scope of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), we are providing input in concrete climate-protection projects in developing countries where additional emission reductions can be obtained at much lower cost than in industrialized states. With Joint Implementation (JI), we are promoting climate-protection measures in another industrialized country. Any emission reductions achieved are certified by the UN. The resulting certificates can be used under Europe's emissions-trading scheme (ETS) for Europe's power supply. We are participating in more than 125 climate-protection projects in Egypt, Bulgaria, China, Chile, Ecuador, India, South Korea, Ukraine and Vietnam, focussing on renewable energy, the utilization of coal bed methane, N₂O avoidance, waste management and energy efficiency in households and power plants.