Prospects for Coal-fired Power Plants with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) in a UK Context

What is it about?

Potential design routes for the capture, transport and storage of CO2 from United Kingdom (UK) power plants have been examined. Energy and carbon analyses were performed on coal-fired power stations with and without CCS. Both currently available and novel CCS technologies are evaluated. Due to lower operating efficiencies, the CCS plants showed a longer energy payback period and a lower energy gain ratio than conventional plant. Both currently available and novel CCS technologies were evaluated. Due to lower operating efficiencies, the CCS plants showed a longer energy payback period and a lower energy gain ratio than conventional plant. The CO2 that was emitted per unit of electricity generated from the assessed CCS power station is found to be only 0.12 kgCO2 per kWh [in contrast to 0.96 kgCO2 per kWh for a non-CCS plant]. Cost estimates were reported in the context of recent UK industry-led attempts to determine opportunities for cost reductions across the whole CCS chain, alongside international endeavours to devise common CCS cost estimation methods. This suggests that CCS power plants to be relatively expensive.These cost figures should be viewed as ‘indicative’ or suggestive. They are nevertheless helpful to various CCS stakeholder groups [such as those in industry, policy makers (civil servants and the staff of various government agencies), and civil society and environmental ‘non-governmental organisations’ (NGOs)] in order to enable them to assess the role of this technology in national energy strategies and its impact on local communities.

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Why is it important?

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) facilities coupled to fossil-fuelled power plants provide a climate change mitigation strategy that potentially permits the continued use of fossil fuels whilst reducing the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The UK Government in their 2007 Energy White Paper (EWP) accepted that Britain should put itself on a path to achieve a goal by adopting various low-carbon options, principally energy efficiency measures, renewable energy sources, and next generation nuclear power plants. CCS facilities coupled to coal-fired power plants provide a climate change mitigation strategy that potentially permits the continued use of fossil fuels whilst reducing the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The 2007 EWP also identified CCS as an important element in any energy RD&D programme. Potential routes for the capture, transport and storage of CO2 from UK power plants, such as the Kingsnorth and Longannet sites, were examined. Storage for the British Isles is likely to be in geological formations, such as depleted oil and gas fields under the North Sea or saline aquifers.

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