MAN Energy Solutions Provides Compressor Trains for CCS Project

MAN Energy Solutions has been awarded a contract for the delivery of three integrally geared compressor trains (IGC) to a large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in the Netherlands. A joint cooperation comprised of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, Energie Beheer Nederland B.V. (EBN), and N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie will conduct the Porthos project—Port of Rotterdam CO₂ Transport Hub and Offshore Storage.

MAN Energy Solutions will deliver three RG 28-6 type compressor trains and has received an order for two additional units for installation at a later phase. The compressor trains will be installed at a station on Maasvlakte, which is a man-made extension to the Europoort. At Maasvlakte, CO₂ will be compressed to varying discharge pressure levels—to a maximum of 180 bar—with each RG 28-6 handing up to 250 tons of CO₂ per hour. In addition, MAN Energy will conduct a dynamic process simulation to allow the compressor system to operate at maximum process efficiency.

RG 28-6 type compressor; Image Credits: MAN Energy Solutions

“We are proud to be part of this project aimed at reducing CO₂ emissions,” said Dr. Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Energy Solutions. “Not only will Porthos play a role in propelling the Netherlands toward achieving net-zero emissions, the project also aims at establishing a CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure serving multiple companies. Such initiatives are crucial in advancing CCS efforts and effectively reducing emissions that are hard to abate.”

Porthos plans to store 2.5 million tons of CO₂ per year in depleted natural gas reservoirs beneath the North Sea. The carbon emissions will be drawn from a number of companies in the Rotterdam port area, which accounts for over 16% of Dutch CO₂ emissions. The carbon will be compressed in the trains delivered by MAN Energy, then transported and injected into a sealed reservoir of porous sandstone more than 3 km under the North Sea. A total of 37 million tons of CO₂ will be geologically stored over the span of 15 years.

“This major order proves once again that MAN Energy Solutions is consolidating its technology position as a provider of CO₂ compression solutions,” said Dr. Marco Ernst, Head of Sales & Project Management CCS at MAN Energy Solutions. “Our RG compressor design with integrated gearbox and individual stages operating at their own optimized speeds is ideal for CO₂ compression with very high-pressure ratios.”

A 22 km pipeline, connected to the compressor station, will transport the gaseous CO₂ to the P18-A platform in the North Sea where it will be pumped into the P18 gas fields 3,200 to 3,500 meters below sea level. The P18 gas fields have a storage capacity of approximately 37 million tons and the CCS system is expected to be operational by 2026.