Operation Strategies for Thermoelectric Power Plants With CO2 Emission Constraints in Italy

The effort of carbon dioxide emission reduction, required to the European countries, especially to Italy, is very remarkable, particularly in the thermoelectric sector. Because between the various policies and measures it is possible to adopt the mechanism of exchange (sale/purchase) of emission rights (Emission Trading), in this work the authors intend to focus on Italian thermoelectric sector and want to illustrate the energy and economic consequences of various operational scenarios that can be conceived for power plants, fuelled by natural gas. In fact, through the Kyoto protocol and its country-specific targets, power producers are strongly driven towards CO2-reducing solutions such as, for example, power modulation. Two examples of advanced thermoelectric power plants, operating in Italy, will be described: the first power plant produces only electric energy while the second one is a cogeneration power plant (it produces heat and electric energy). For both power plants, the best management criteria will be discussed in order to attain competitive performance of such facilities. The final goal is to minimize the cost of production (or to maximize profits), taking into account, however, the specific targets for CO2 emissions.