Abstract:
The power structure based on pulverized coal power in China will not be fundamentally changed in the near future. The pulverized coal power generation is facing an increasing stress of carbon emission reduction and carbon constrains. The application of carbon dioxide capture, geological storage and utilization(CCUS) retrofitting to existing coal-fired power plants is an important opportunity that can mitigate significant carbon emission. The coal-fired power plants in China Energy Group(former Shenhua Group) was analyzed by a systematical evaluation method for full-chain CCUS retrofitting to coal-fired power plants at the enterprise level. The method includes coal-fired power plants retrofits, site suitability evaluation of CO2 storage, sink-source matching with techno-economic evaluation. The results show that more than 60% of the total 72.72 GW capacity have the basic characteristics to deploy the CCUS retrofits. With an average capture rate of 50%, a matching distance of 250 km, and the levelized avoid cost of a full-chain CCUS project is less than 50 USD/t CO2, about 51 million tons of CO2 will be mitigated annually. When the carbon emission intensity of coal-fired power generation is equivalent to that of natural gas-fired power generation, the feed-in tariffs of coal-fired power generation retrofitted with CCUS ranges from ?10.74 USD/(MW?h) to 92.03 USD/(MW?h), which is more competitive than natural gas electricity and wind power in some provinces in China. Considering dramatically cost cut-down by technological progresses, industry progress optimization and incentive policy in the near future, coal-fired power plants retrofitted with CCUS will be more cost-competitive.