Edmonton-based Capital Power announced on Thursday it plans to build the world’s first commercial-scale carbon nanotube production facility at its Genesee power station.
The company is an investor in Calgary-based C2CNT, which has developed a technology that captures and transforms carbon dioxide into carbon nanotubes, which can be used as an additive to substantially increase the strength of materials such as concrete, steel and aluminum.
At the Genesee Carbon Conversion Centre, which has an estimated capital cost of $200 million to $225 million, Capital Power said that Lehigh Hanson will conduct testing for the utilization of carbon nanotubes in concrete.
"Capital Power plans to start commercial scale production of CNTs at its Genesee facility, assuming the CNTs in concrete testing and preliminary marketing of the product is successful,” the company said.
“This would include expected approvals of required permits and construction to commence in the summer of 2020 and expected operations in the first half of 2021.”
The Genesee Carbon Conversion Centre could generate 2,500 tonnes of carbon nanotubes per year, the company said.
In May 2019, Capital Power committed to increase its equity interest in C2CNT from 5 percent to 9 percent by March of 2020. The company said it now intends to increase its interest to 40 percent by the end of 2020, assuming the C2CNT and concrete project is successful.
Capital Power said it continues to advance its dual-fuel capability project at the facility, with plans to increase natural gas capability at Genesee 3 to 100 percent by 2021.
