DELIBERATIVE PRE-DECISIONAL DRAFT – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION – NOT A STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

Summary	of	Interagency	Working	Comments	on	Draft	Language	under	EO12866/13563	Interagency	Review.		Subject	to	

Further	Policy	Review.

Page 1 of 3

BACKGROUND ON COST AND PERFORMANCE OF CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE (CCS) AND NUCLEAR

Our best information for pulverized coal (PC) and integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants is shown in the table below for non-capture plants and for plants with 

design emissions rates of 1,100 and 1,400 lb CO2/MWh-gross as well as several other potential standards on a net basis. The PC and IGCC data is from a forthcoming NETL report.

1

These estimates do not include revenue from enhanced oil recovery (EOR), which would lower LCOEs for plants with CCS. 2The estimates for nuclear power plants are from a variety 

of sources, including EIA, EPRI, and others. 

Ultra Super Critical PC / Super Critical PC IGCC3 Nuclear

Design full load 

emissions rate4

lb CO2/MWhgross

1,618 1,400 1,300 1,200 1,100 1,430 1,100 900 0

lb CO2/MWhnet 1,705 1,498 1,400 1,302 1,201 1,720 1,356 1,129 0

CO2 Capture (%) 0% 16% 22% 29% 35% 0% 22% 37% N/A

Incremental Capital Cost of 

Partial CO2 Capture (%) 0% 21% 27% 32% 37% 0% 10% 15% N/A

LCOE -15% (2011$/MWh) 75.8* 90.7 94.6 98.3 101.9 93.7 101.4 107.3 N/A

LCOE5(2011$/MWh) 82.3* 97.8 101.4 104.8 108.1 102.6 109.3 114.2 96; 93-1026

1067; 74-1408

LCOE +30% (2011$/MWh) 95.3* 115.9 121.0 125.8 130.5 120.3 130.8 138.1 N/A

Estimate of % Natural Gas CoFiring to Meet Standard9 0% 30% 45% 60% 75% 0% 60% 80% -

 

1

Forthcoming 2015 NETL report titled “Cost and Performance Baseline for Fossil Energy Plants Supplement: Sensitivity to CO2 Capture Rate in Coal-Fired Power Plants.”

2 Once captured, CO2 can be either permanently sequestered in an underground geologic formation (such as a saline aquifer), or utilized for injection into an oil field for enhanced oil recovery (EOR), a technique for producing 

additional crude oil from oil fields depleted by conventional production techniques. For example, in the case where captured CO2 is utilized for EOR, a PC power plant that captures 29% of its CO2 emissions for sale for injection 

into an oil field for EOR at a price of $30 per ton CO2 at the plant gate could realize a reduction in the plant LCOE of approximately $8 per MWh. However, CO2 prices are likely to be sensitive to the price of oil.

3

The incremental cost of achieving a 1,400 lb CO2/MWh-gross standard for an IGCC is not evaluated here due to data limitations; in addition, the non-capture IGCC would likely use efficiency improvement measures or natural 

gas co-firing measures to close the small gap to the standard. 

4

Gross CO2 emissions represent full-load design emissions. Slightly higher capture rates and associated higher costs would be required to meet a specific limit upon accounting for the effects of start-up and shut-down. 

Additional analysis is required to quantify these requirements.

5

2011 year dollars except as noted; constant-dollar 30-year levelized values. Uncertainty ranges represent the capital cost accuracy range only (-15%+30%) and do not take into account variability due to site-specific conditions 

or costs, uncertainty in O&M costs including fuel, variability in finance structure, etc. The LCOEs are not directly comparable to EIA/EPA LCOEs due to differing finance structures, year dollars, scope of capital cost estimate, etc.

6

EIA AEO 2014. EIA’s point estimate is $96.10 per MWh in 2012$; Regional Variation is $93 to $102 per MWh in 2012$.

7

Staff estimate of LCOE for the next commercial offering of an advanced nuclear power plant.

8 Multiple sources in multiple year-dollars: NREL ReEDS at $100 – $118/MWh; Lazard (2014) at $124/MWh; Rothwell for SMRs (2014) at $74 - $140/MWh. 

9

Staff estimate. Assumes coal contains 201.3 Lb CO2/MMBtu and natural gas contains 117 Lb CO2/MMBtu. Assumes that IGCC has no heat rate penalty for natural gas co-firing, and assumes SCPC has a 1.5% heat rate penalty 

for natural gas co-firing. IGCC unit heat rate of 8,756 Btu/KWh (~39% efficient) with net power between 595 MWh to 622 MWh. SCPC unit heat rate of 8,379 Btu/KWh (~41% efficient) with a net power of 550 MWh.
DELIBERATIVE PRE-DECISIONAL DRAFT – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION – NOT A STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

Summary	of	Interagency	Working	Comments	on	Draft	Language	under	EO12866/13563	Interagency	Review.		Subject	to	

Further	Policy	Review.

Page 2 of 3

Study/Technology Notes

Forthcoming 2015 NETL report with updated post-combustion capture 

(Cansolv**), CO2 compression and steam turbine quotes; natural gas co-firing 

is a Staff estimate

Forthcoming 2015 NETL report derived from 2010 

performance data and 2012 cost update; GE gasifier case; 

natural gas co-firing is a Staff estimate

Multiple sources; 

see respective 

footnotes

*These LCOE estimates for coal without carbon capture use a lower-cost financing structure in comparison to IGCC units and units with carbon capture; **Cansolv – The CANSOLV CO2 Capture System is an amine-based CO2

capture technology.
DELIBERATIVE PRE-DECISIONAL DRAFT – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION – NOT A STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

Summary	of	Interagency	Working	Comments	on	Draft	Language	under	EO12866/13563	Interagency	Review.		Subject	to	

Further	Policy	Review.

Page 3 of 3

Net and Gross Emissions for PC and IGCC Units

0% Capture

22% Capture

26% Capture

32% Capture

0% Capture

16% Capture

29% Capture

35% Capture

900

1,000

1,100

1,200

1,300

1,400

1,500

1,600

1,700

1,800

900 1,000 1,100 1,200 1,300 1,400 1,500 1,600 1,700

C

O2 Emissions* (lb/M

Wh-net)

CO2 Emissions* (lb/MWh-gross)

IGCC PC