Capital Power creates responsible electricity solutions to power communities, business and critical services across Canada and the United States – we’re passionate about innovation, reducing emissions and positioning our business to support a reliable and affordable, low-carbon energy system.
Our Genesee Generating Station (Genesee) is a hub of innovation and launchpad for key initiatives – including carbon capture and utilization (CCU) – to help us reach net carbon neutrality by 2050. Located west of Edmonton, Genesee is home to three baseload power generation units that have reliably supported Alberta’s economy for over 30 years – and the facility has an even brighter future as it undergoes a major transformation with sustainability at the heart of its future. We’re building the Genesee Carbon Conversion Centre (GC3) to create carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using a novel CCU electrolysis technology that transforms carbon dioxide (CO2) into CNTs. This innovative project is in development alongside Genesee’s overall transformation to natural gas-powered generation, that will reduce carbon emissions by 3.4 million tonnes annually.
CNTs from the GC3 facility are a high-value product that improves properties such as tensile strength and electrical conductivity when used as an additive in various industrial applications such as structural materials (i.e., cement, steel), plastics & polymers and more. By reducing the amount of input materials needed to create final products, CO2 emissions from these downstream industrial processes are significantly reduced.
The unique electrolysis method utilized at GC3 is a proprietary technology developed by C2CNT. Using a CO2 concentrator, GC3 will capture flue gas from the facility and transform it into CNTs at commercial scale. The first phase of the facility will be the largest of its kind globally with a production capacity of 2,500 tonnes of CNTs annually, scalable up to a 7,500 tonnes potential output in the future. The C2CNT technology delivers environmental benefits relative to traditional methods of CNT production.