Power system and carbon capture under climate policy: a water impact analysis with TIAM-FR

International audienceAn increasing body of literature assesses the attainability of stringent CO2 mitigation targets (e.g. van Vuuren et al., 2007), depending on a wide range of different reduction options, and the technology 'readiness' of advanced technologies, in particular the industrial scale of carbon capture and storage (CCS)and the combination of bio-energy, carbon capture and geologic storage (BECCS). Introducing CCS to abate emissions appears more and more as incontrovertible to reduce future CO2 emissions in line with the consensual limit of 2°C temperature increase (IPCC, 2007b). This all the more if we consider that fossil fuels will remain the dominant sources of energy over the next decades and that, as a result, CO2 emissions will drastically increase to reach unsustainable levels. Furthermore, among the technological options to mitigate CO2 emissions, BECCS is gaining increasing attention, as this alternative offers a unique opportunity for a net carbon removal from the atmosphere while fulfilling energy needs (Herzog et al., 2005;Azaret al., 2006;van Vuuren et al., 2007; Katofsky et al., 2010)