The successful deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) could save UK consumers and businesses billions of pounds when used in combination with bioenergy, according to the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI).
The ETI said in a new report – Reducing the costs of CCS: Developments in capture plant technology – that costs could be reduced by deploying existing technology and utilising shared infrastructure, rather than investment in further technology advances.
It said one pathway to reducing the cost of CCS is to deliver a small number of large plants sequentially using proven technologies.
ETI CCS strategy manager Den Gammer said: “Our analysis shows that cost reduction through sequential deployments of existing technology can drive down costs by as much as 45% largely through a combination of economies of scale, infrastructure sharing and risk reductions through deployment.
“Cost reduction can only be achieved through commercial scale deployment in the UK, investment in infrastructure including storage sites and by having a policy environment that is attractive for CCS investors.
“Investment in anchor projects provides a transport and storage infrastructure for subsequent projects to build on and paves the way for the introduction of higher risk emerging technologies once the overall CCS risk is reduced.
“A strategy of waiting for global technology advances to reduce costs and risks will not address UK specific costs and risks in transport and storage.”
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