Coupling CO2 Capture and Storage with Coal Gasification: Defining "Sequestration-Ready" IGCC

Carbon dioxide (CO2) can be separated and captured more efficiently and at a lower cost from an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) coal generation power plant than from a conventional pulverized coal power plant.   This advantage for addressing CO2 emissions is one important reason that the National Commission on Energy Policy has recently called for increased federal funding to encourage the construction of IGCC power plants that are “sequestration-ready”.  An important outstanding policy question is to what extent initial commercial IGCC power plants supported by federal funds should be required to prepare for, pre-invest in, or install and operate CO2 capture equipment, i.e. what does the term “sequestration-ready” mean for an initial fleet of IGCC power plants?  Adding CO2 capture capabilities to an IGCC power plant is not a simple end-of-pipe modification, so planning for the addition of this capability is appropriate.  Without any current regulatory or economic incentives for power plants to capture and store CO2, however, the appropriate extent of this sequestration-ready requirement is unclear.  This paper assesses a spectrum of progressively more involved potential requirements for incorporating consideration of CO2 capture and storage technology in the design of new IGCC power plants.