An Economic Evaluation of Post CO₂ Capture Techniques for Natural Gas Combined Cycle Power Plants

The Power Generation (PG) industry is focusing to reduce or eliminate their carbon emissions to address global warming and comply with the goals of the Paris agreement. However, the pandemic has disrupted their planned targets and has led to economic crises. With many countries still grappling with the pandemic, it is important for the industry to refocus and develop a plan to meet their emissions reduction targets.

The rapid conversion from natural gas (NG) to hydrogen (H₂) or ammonia (NH₃) is not currently a viable option due to the availability of fuel and existing technologies cost. Nonetheless, there are alternative technologies that have been developed to capture Carbon dioxide CO₂ during both pre- and post-combustion stages in natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plant. Investment and operational cost are the deciding factors for the electricity providers to adopt carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies to implement pre-combustion or post-combustion on the existing plants.

In this study, the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) and other economic parameters will be evaluated for the implementation of CCUS technologies in post combustion stage of a NGCC power plant. The economic analysis will be performed using Siemens Energy’s proprietary PV tool to generate estimates and recommendations.

The study will use a NGCC power plant as a reference model and will calculate the cost and efficiency impacts, as well as other benefits against CO₂ penalties while implementing suitable CCUS technologies at post combustion stage of the NGCC power plant. Specifically, the study will assume the monoethanolamine (MEA) process as CO₂ capturing technology in the post-combustion stage. The report will examine multiple cases, including MEA process with and without utilization.

Overall, the study aims to provide a comprehensive economic analysis of CCUS technologies for NGCC power plants. The findings of this study could provide guidance & effective strategies for electricity providers in determining the best course of action for achieving their emissions reduction goals by examining the possibilities of implementing CCUS technologies on their power plants based on the case results and discussions. Ultimately, the study could serve as a valuable resource for the electricity industry as it seeks to address the challenges of climate change and transition to a more sustainable energy future.