Algae.Tec signs carbon capture biofuels deal with Australia's largest coal-fired power company

In what is understood to be a world first, Algae.Tec has signed a deal with Australia’s largest power company to site an algae carbon capture and biofuels production facility alongside a 2640MW coal-fired power station near Sydney.
Macquarie Generation, one of the largest power companies in the world and owned by the New South Wales Government, has signed an agreement to site the Algae.Tec facility next to the Bayswater coal-fired power station in the Hunter Valley NSW, and feed waste carbon dioxide into the enclosed algae growth system.
The announcement was made on July 2 by NSW Energy Minister Chris Hartcher in the presence of Macquarie Generation CEO and Managing Director Russell Skelton and Algae.Tec Executive Chairman Roger Stroud.
“This deal is an innovative means of capturing and reusing carbon emissions and providing the Hunter region with a locally produced green fuel source,” Hartcher said.
Macquarie Generation CEO and Managing Director Russell Skelton said: “Our agreement with Algae.Tec is another example of MacGen finding creative ways to improve our business and improve our environmental performance.”
Bayswater uses approximately 7.5 million tons of coal per year and delivers power to eastern Australia, from South Australia to Northern Queensland. It is the centrepiece of the New South Wales energy system. The algae will feed on “waste” carbon dioxide emitted by the power station and the resulting algal oil is converted to biodiesel and hydrogenated to grade A jet fuel.
Algae.Tec Ltd, founded in 2007, is an Australian advanced renewable oil from algae company that has developed a high-yield enclosed algae growth and harvesting system, the McConchie-Stroud System. The Company has offices in Atlanta, Georgia and Perth, Western Australia.
(July 2, 2013)