Opportunities for Decarbonizing Existing U.S. Coal-Fired Power Plants via CO₂ Capture, Utilization and Storage

This study employs a power plant modeling tool to explore the feasibility of reducing unit-level emission rates of CO₂ by 30% by retrofitting carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) to existing U.S. coal-fired electric generating units (EGUs). Our goal is to identify feasible EGUs and their key attributes. The results indicate that for about 60 gigawatts of the existing coal-fired capacity, the implementation of partial CO₂ capture appears feasible, though its cost is highly dependent on the unit characteristics and fuel prices. Auxiliary gas-fired boilers can be employed to power a carbon capture process without significant increases in the cost of electricity generation. A complementary CO₂ emission trading program can provide additional economic incentives for the deployment of CCS with 90% CO₂ capture. Selling and utilizing the captured CO₂ product for enhanced oil recovery can further accelerate CCUS deployment and also help reinforce a CO₂ emission trading market. These efforts would allow existing coal-fired EGUs to continue to provide a significant share of the U.S. electricity demand