Enel eyes EU backing for CO2 capture, storing plans

MILAN, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Enel said on Thursday it hopes to win the European Commission's backing for projects to capture and bury heat-trapping carbon dioxide as it aims to reduce the environmental impact of its plants.

Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) involves capturing CO2, widely believed to contribute to global warming, and burying it deep underground. CCS is still at the demonstration phase, with possible problems including gas leakage.

Italy's biggest utility said it presented on Wednesday in Paris two CCS projects for inclusion in the EC-backed European Flagship Programme of 10-12 CCS demonstration projects.

The utility plans to invest 320 million euros ($451.5 million) in the projects under its five-year industrial plan.

Enel, whose push to develop coal-fired power generation is strongly opposed by Italy's environment ministry and green groups, said a coal-fired plant equipped with CCS technology would emit 0.146 million tonnes of CO2 per terawatt hour.

That compared to 0.694 million tonnes per TW/h emitted by an oil-fired plant or 0.354 million tonnes emitted by a gas-fired CCGT plant, the utility said.

Under one demonstration project, which should start up in 2012, Enel aims to capture 1.0-1.5 million tonnes of C02, or about 30-50 percent of gas emitted by a 660 MW coal-fired plant.

The gas would then by transported via a pipeline to be injected into a porous rock formation, or aquifer, deep underground.

Enel has identified three possible sites -- near Brindisi where it has a 2,600 MW coal-fired plant, or off-shore Civitavecchia, near Rome where it has been converting a 2,000 MW oil-fired plant to coal.