Carbon capture for coal costly, study finds
Jul 21 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Ken Ward Jr. The Charleston
Gazette, W.Va.
Harvard University researchers have issued a new report that confirms what
many experts already feared: Stopping greenhouse gas emissions from
coal-fired power plants is going to cost a lot of money.
Electricity costs could double at a first-generation plant that captures and
stores carbon dioxide emissions, according to the report from energy
researchers at the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center.
Costs would drop as the technology matures, but could still amount to an
increase of 22 to 55 percent, according to the report, "Realistic Costs of
Carbon Capture," issued this week.
These projections "are higher than many published estimates," but reflect
capital project inflation and "greater knowledge of project costs," wrote
researchers Mohammed Al-Juaied and Adam Whitmore.
Coal is the nation's largest source of global warming pollution,
representing about a third of U.S. greenhouse emissions, equal to the
combined output of all cars, trucks, buses, trains and boats.
In the U.S., coal provides half of the nation's electricity. Many experts
believe that, because of vast supplies, coal will continue to generate much
of the nation's power for many years to come.
Climate scientists, though, recommend that the nation swiftly cut carbon
dioxide emissions and ultimately reduce them by at least 80 percent below
2000 levels by mid-century to avoid the worst consequences of climate
change.
Industry supporters say the key is for scientists to perfect technology to
capture carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants and pump those
gases safely underground. But such technology has never been deployed on a
commercial scale. Critics worry about the expense, safety and a host of
technical hurdles.
Previous studies have found that carbon capture and storage, or CCS, might
cost in the neighborhood of $30 to $50 per ton of carbon dioxide that is
captured and stored.
But in a major report last October, the Union of Concerned Scientists warned
that such estimates might be overly optimistic. Among other problems, the
group said, previous studies did not reflect rising construction, material
and labor costs.
The new Harvard study tried to account for such issues. As a result, it
projected CCS costs at between $120 and $180 per ton of carbon dioxide
captured and stored.
That's for a first-of-its kind, new generation of coal-fired plant that
eliminates most carbon dioxide emissions.
The cost translates to an increased cost of electricity of about 10 cents
per kilowatt-hour. Nationally, the average electricity cost is about 9 cents
per kilowatt-hour, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
In West Virginia, costs are much lower, an average of 5.3 cents per
kilowatt-hour, according to the DOE.
Typically, the state Public Service Commission's Consumer Advocate Division
uses the figure of 600 kilowatt-hours per month as an average usage in West
Virginia. Using that number, the CCS projections would increase an average
power bill by about $60 per month, or $720 per year.
The Harvard study projected that, as technology improves, CCS costs would
drop. Later-generation plants would cost between $30 and $50 for every ton
of carbon dioxide they capture.
That amounts to between 2 and 5 cents more per kilowatt-hour of power,
according to the study. On average, that's between $12 and $30 per month
more for electricity.
Reach Ken Ward Jr. at kward@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1702.
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