Emissions

8 Rivers, Siemens Energy collaborate on gas turbine decarbonization

8 Rivers said the ongoing turbine development program with Siemens Energy provides line of sight to future commercial projects. 
8 Rivers, Siemens Energy collaborate on gas turbine decarbonization

8 Rivers and Siemens Energy are collaborating on the development of a “zero-emission” turbine that would create roughly 270 MW from captured carbon dioxide.

Since the end of 2023, 8 Rivers and Siemens Energy have collaborated on development of direct-fired super critical CO2 turbines across a range of applications and fuel types. 8 Rivers, a developer of decarbonization technology and projects, said the ongoing turbine development program provides line of sight to future commercial projects. 

Siemens Energy has selected the commercially available generator that will be used with the Allam-Fetvedt Cycle (AFC) turbine. Siemens Energy will also provide related equipment, services, compression and grid technologies.

However, 8 Rivers said it has completed a study with a commercial party which assessed the feasibility of a biomass fueled Allam-Fetvedt Cycle negative emissions power system (Biome). This resulted in the recent signing of an MoU with the aim of commercial deployment, the company said.

8 Rivers argues that biome as a power system allows for the generation of low-cost, reliable, negative emissions power while simultaneously generating large volumes of carbon dioxide removal (CDR).  

North Carolina-based 8 Rivers develops zero-carbon technologies such as hydrogen, carbon capture and biomass carbon removal. It jointly owns NET Power, whose Allam-Fetvedt Cycle combusts natural gas with oxygen (rather than air) to fuel a supercritical CO₂ cycle that generates electricity.

The technology reuses most of the carbon dioxide produced and captures the rest, meaning it emits virtually nothing into the atmosphere. NET Power has said its plants should cost no more to build and operate than a traditional natural gas plant.

In 2018, we reported NET Power successfully achieved first fire of its demonstration plant and test facility in La Porte, Texas. At that time, the company had targeted the global deployment of 300 MW capacity commercial-scale plants beginning as early as 2021.