The Contribution of Carbon Capture and Storage to the Decarbonization of Coal-Fired Power Plants in Selected Asian Countries

About 26% of global CO2 emissions came from coal-fired power plants (CP) in 2021. Furthermore, 72% of this came from Asian countries, especially China and India. Therefore, reducing CO(2 )emission from CPs is a must if Asian countries were to achieve net-zero CO2 emission by 2050 or soon afterward. In this study, we evaluate the potential contribution of carbon capture and storage (CCS) to decarbonize CPs in selected Asian countries. Our study area consists of the east coast of China, India, Sumatra, West Java and Kalimantan of Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, and Thailand which contains one-quarter of the global CP capacity. We screen all existing CPs in the study area for CCS retrofit readiness, considering the size and age of CPs, the CO2 transportation distance, and the storage capacity of nearby oil and gas reservoirs and saline aquifers. Analyses show that out of 520 CPs in the study area, 305 (59%) pass the screening criteria for CCS-retrofitting. If fully implemented at a 90% CO2 capture rate, CCS retrofitting will result in the abatement of 1.55 Gtpa of CO2, equal to 65% of CO2 emission from CPs in the study area and 16% of global CO(2 )emission from CPs. Furthermore, retrofitting CPs with CCS has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by 18% for Malaysia, 26% for India, and 26% for Vietnam. However, the biggest CO2 abatement will be realized in India (715 Mtpa) and China (636 Mtpa). These results quantify the potential contribution of CCS in decarbonizing CPs in Asia. Policy implications to accelerate CCS implementation based on our findings are also discussed.

Automated summary

Coal-fired power plants in Asia contribute significantly to global CO2 emissions, and carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology has the potential to reduce these emissions. This study evaluates the potential contribution of CCS in decarbonizing coal-fired power plants in selected Asian countries and identifies the readiness of existing plants for CCS retrofitting. The findings show that CCS retrofitting can result in substantial CO2 abatement, particularly in India and China.