Least cost electricity generation options based on environmental impact abatement

Abstract

Abstract The power sector in Thailand is the largest contributor to CO2 emissions. There is high potential to mitigate CO2 emission via alternative power generating plants. Alternative plants considered in this study include nuclear plants, integrated gasification combined cycle plants, biomass-based plants and supercritical thermal power plants. The biomass-based plants considered here are fueled with four types of biomass; paddy husk, municipal solid waste (MSW), fuel wood and corncob. The methodology for the optimal expansion plan of the power generating system over the planning horizon is based on the least-cost approach. The results from the least-cost planning analyses show that the nuclear alternative has the highest potential to mitigate not only CO2 but also other airborne emissions. Moreover, the nuclear option is the most effective abatement strategy for CO2 reduction due to its negative incremental cost of CO2 reduction.