Technology Overview
Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) in thermal power plants is a technology that captures CO₂ from the flue gas of power plants and stores or reuses it in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This technology does not generate electricity directly but is integrated into existing plants—particularly coal- and gas-fired power plants—to mitigate the environmental impact of fossil-based generation.
Technical Characteristics
CCUS systems are capable of capturing up to 90% of CO₂ emissions; however, they reduce the net electrical efficiency of the plant due to the additional energy required for capture and compression processes.
CCUS systems typically consist of three main stages:
- CO₂ capture from post-combustion flue gas
- CO₂ transport to storage or utilization sites
- CO₂ storage in geological formations or use in industrial processes
Among these, post-combustion capture is a key development pathway, with technologies such as solvent absorption and amine scrubbing aimed at improving capture efficiency and reducing costs.
Investment cost data indicates that current capital costs are approximately 1.86 million USD/MW as an add-on for CCGT plants and 3.61 million USD/MW for ultra-supercritical coal-fired plants. This represents one of the major barriers to large-scale deployment of CCUS.
In the context of the energy transition, CCUS can play an important role in reducing emissions from existing power generation assets, particularly during the transitional period when renewable energy sources are not yet able to fully replace fossil-based generation.