Publication Overview
Most of the power plants currently being built in developed countries are natural gas fired combined cycle plants. Such plants could potentially be good candidates for CO₂ capture retrofit because they are relatively new and have high thermal efficiencies. This study assesses the feasibility and costs of retrofitting CO₂ capture to modern natural gas combined cycle plants. The study was carried out by Jacobs Consultancy Netherland B.V.
Publication Summary
Retrofitting CO₂ capture to natural gas combined cycle plants would increase the cost of electricity by about 2-3c/kWh, corresponding to about 70-90 $/tonne of CO₂ emissions avoided.
Post combustion capture is the lowest cost capture retrofit option.
Remote fuel processing and CO₂ capture plants could provide low-carbon fuel gas to a combined cycle plant but the cost would be about 0.8c/kWh higher than for on-site CO₂ capture retrofit.
There are several potential barriers to retrofit of CO₂ capture to existing combined cycle power plants but most of them could be overcome if the possibility of retrofit was taken into account when the power plant was designed.
Retrofitting a coal gasification plant with CO₂ capture could be an attractive option in some countries where gas costs are high and coal costs are low. Capture-ready gasification plants could be built if there is currently no requirement to capture CO₂.
