Electrabel is one of three firms, including E.ON Kraftwerke and Hitachi, to plan a joint research project to design, build and operate a test facility to investigate the behavior of different solvents in the process for carbon capture from flue gases.

Electrabel and E.ON Kraftwerke will integrate the test facility in their power plants to perform the test programs under real conditions. The relatively large scale of the test installation is expected to deliver reliable data to allow scale-up.

The test facility is expected to be able to treat up to 5,000 cubic meters of flue gas per hour under real conditions and will reportedly be operated for four years on sites owned by Electrabel and E.ON Kraftwerke.

Electrabel said the joint venture wants to improve the carbon-capture process and prepare for the future scale-up for post-combustion capture at both new and existing plants.