Innovative Chemistry to Play Vital Role in Evolution of CO2 Capture Technology

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va., Sep. 10 /CSRwire/ - Alstom (Euronext: ALO), a world leader in power generation equipment, and The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), a leader in innovative chemistry for the development of energy and climate change solutions, today celebrated the successful start-up and operation of a pilot plant to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from the flue gas of a coal-fired boiler at the Dow-owned facility in South Charleston, West Virginia, USA. Governor Joe Manchin III and executives from both Alstom and Dow were on hand to dedicate the facility.

The pilot plant uses proprietary advanced-amine technology jointly developed by Alstom and Dow to capture approximately 1,800 metric tons of CO2 per year. The pilot will operate for the next two years, generating reliable, long-term data that can be used to optimize this technology for implementation at coal-fired power plants across the globe. In 2008, the two companies entered into a Joint Development Agreement to develop this technology. In March 2009, the companies announced their plans to design and construct the plant.

West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin III said, "This is a good day for West Virginia. Coal, which represents more than 40 percent of the world's power generation, is and will continue to be an essential part of the world's energy mix. But only by reducing its CO2 output can coal remain a viable source of power generation. As a state rich in fossil fuels, West Virginia, with the help of Dow and Alstom, is becoming the leader in this revolutionary clean coal technology."

"As a leader in carbon capture technology, Alstom is excited to take the next step in commercializing an advanced-amine technology," said Philippe Joubert, Alstom Executive Vice President and President of Alstom Power. "This pilot plant is designed to evaluate the technology operating under power plant conditions, test proprietary innovations jointly developed by Dow and Alstom and provide data necessary to finalize the design of large-scale demonstration plants that will apply this technology. Integrating this process with new advanced coal and gas fired power generation equipment will allow customers to minimize CO2 emissions while generating electricity as cost effectively as possible."

"As a world leader in chemistry, Dow is uniquely positioned to help address the challenges associated with CO2 capture and other energy and climate change issues," said Heinz Haller, executive vice president of Dow's Performance Products & Systems portfolio. "We have worked closely with Alstom to develop a system that will make CO2 capture extremely cost effective and reduce the amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere."

About Dow

Dow is a diversified chemical company that combines the power of science and technology with the "Human Element" to constantly improve what is essential to human progress. The Company delivers a broad range of products and services to customers in approximately 160 countries, connecting chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products. In 2008, Dow had annual sales of $57.5 billion and employed approximately 46,000 people worldwide. The Company has 150 manufacturing sites in 35 countries and produces approximately 3,300 products. On April 1, 2009, Dow acquired Rohm and Haas Company, a global specialty materials company with sales of $10 billion in 2008, 98 manufacturing sites in 30 countries and approximately 15,000 employees worldwide.

References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. The Union Carbide Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.

About Dow Oil & Gas

Dow Oil & Gas serves customers across the global oil and gas industry, addressing changing operations and business needs with a growing range of integrated technology and specialty chemical and material solutions. Backed by the proven resources of Dow, this growing team of experienced professionals works collaboratively with customers to leverage Dow's unmatched molecular expertise and global footprint to offer meaningful solutions to today's oil and gas industry challenges. More information can be found at www.dowoilandgas.com.

About Alstom

Alstom (www.alstom.com) is a global leader in the world of power generation and rail infrastructure and sets the benchmark for innovative and environmentally friendly technologies. Alstom builds the fastest train and the highest capacity automated metro in the world, and provides turnkey integrated power plant solutions, equipment and associated services for a wide variety of energy sources, including hydro, nuclear, gas, coal and wind. The Group employs more than 81,000 people in 70 countries, and had orders of euro 24.6 billion in 2008/09.

Alstom and CCS

Alstom is at the forefront of carbon capture technology development. In the past few years, Alstom has announced plans to develop ten CO2 capture demonstration projects in seven countries. To date, Alstom has successfully operated demonstration projects with EPRI and We Energies in Wisconsin, USA, E.ON in Sweden and Vattenfall in Germany. In addition to the Dow-Alstom project highlighted above, Alstom will be partnering with American Electric Power on a demonstration project in New Haven, WV that will begin operations later this month. All told, Alstom is mobilizing hundreds of employees and has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in support of its stated goal of making carbon capture technology commercially available within six years.