Defining CCS Ready: An Approach to An International Definition

Chapter 2: Capture Ready Plant Definitionequipment, materials, and services, the technical feasibility of the CCS retrofit can be betterdemonstrated while also minimizing delays in obtaining such equipment and services at thetime of retrofit. It can also help reduce costs, promote the sharing of knowledge, improvecommunication, speed the deployment of technologies, and assist with financial burdens.The results of a survey conducted by Global CCS Institute found that obtaining contractualagreements for CCS can be time consuming. 52 Prior preparations by indentifying sources andeven obtaining non-binding letters of intent or contingency contracts will reduce the risk ofconstruction delays upon the need for eventual CCS, and reduce the risk of plants beingplanned with capture technology but no feasible options for CO 2 transport and storage.The implementation and testing of large-scale CCS will involve a number of participants withexpertise in various areas and stages of technology deployment. The success of a projectwill depend on the selection of knowledgeable, innovative, reliable, and competent partnersto assist with the planning and implementation. Thus, it is important to identify partners thatcan help in choosing the best methodology given a plant’s characteristics, and, once thecapture methodology is chosen, can provide the project developer with the necessaryequipment and materials such as filters, boilers, solvents, membranes and sorbents,gasification reactors, and water-gas-shift reactors. 53Global CCS Institute, US DOE/NETL, 54 and MIT 55 have prepared comprehensive lists ofCO 2 capture projects across the world, by region and capture technology, along with thecontributing partners (such as coal, electric, chemical, and engineering companies, as well asthe government). These lists provide possible vendors and partners for CCS projects. Thevendors and service providers will be different for each country, and perhaps even withindifferent regions of a country.2.4.5 Maintaining Capture ReadinessA thorough assessment of a CCS Ready plant and its eventual retrofit plan cannot bedeemed completed or sufficient by undertaking only a one-time fulfilment of all the aboveelements and their relevant requirements. Regular assessments of a plant’s Capture Readystatus are important to adapt projects to foreseeable changes such as new technicaldevelopments, additional costs, and delays. Since deployment of CCS technology takes timeand effort, it is important to maintain the ability to deploy CCS as soon as possible whenmandated or when technology permits.By being Capture Ready and maintaining this status, barriers to CCS deployment furtheralong the timeframe can be removed. For example, an applicant can ensure that:52 Global CCS Institute. (2009a). Strategic analysis of the global status of carbon capture and storage. Report 1: Status ofcarbon capture and storage projects globally (Final Report). Canberra ACT, Australia: Author.53 Special filters and thermo-resistant materials and equipment, especially for full-scale industrial deployment of carboncapture technologies. Costs of capture, fixed and variable, may be reduced through the use of special membranes andsorbents, with tailored filtering properties, still at the laboratory stage of development. With funding from the US DOE, theNETL has developed ionic liquid membranes that surpass polymers in terms of CO2 selectivity and permeability at elevatedtemperatures for pre-combustion applications. The ability to gain access to this technology implies not only a reduction incost, but also a quicker payback period through an accelerated schedule of CCS deployment.54U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory (U.S. DOE-NETL). (2010). Carbon sequestration:NETL carbon capture and storage database.55 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). (2010). Carbon dioxide capture and storage project database.23 February 2010 33