Costs and performance of an oxygen-blown IGCC plant with CCS on a first-of-a-kind basis in Japan

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The Japanese government recently funded the feasibility study (FS) on conceptual designs for oxygen-blown Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC)+carbon capture and storage (CCS) systems. This paper presents the results of the economic evaluations conducted in the FS. The systems are first-of-a-kind (FOAK) bases with a net output power of 300MWe. It also illustrates a design for a post-demonstration brownfield plant to be constructed in Japan in the 2020s. The study assesses transportation and storage technologies, and site-specific characteristics for transportation by ship and pipeline (PL). With CCS, the construction cost for transportation is the highest (40–60%), closely followed by separation and recovery costs. CCS raises the cost of electricity (COE), of which 30–60% is due to CO2 transportation. The costs of CO2 avoided and CO2 captured show a trend similar to the construction cost. Ship transport is more promising given the flexibility in CO2 storage sites along Japan's coastline and the high unit cost of PL transportation. The overnight cost and levelized COE of the IGCC+CCS plant in the FS (FOAK plant) are relatively higher than those for the plants evaluated in other studies (commercial plants).