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What do CCS, Scott Morrison #Insiders and Monty Python's "Dead Parrot” have in common? Is CCS just resting or is it dead? Or is CCS just pining for the Norwegian Fjords? A science based twitter thread 1/N
Despite the hype, only one power plant with CCS in operation exists - Boundary Dam plant in Canada. Massively costly, it requires 25% of the plant’s energy output and only about 70% of CO2 captured stays underground as it is used for Enhanced Oil Recovery, not long storage 2/N
In the dead CCS plant category is Petra Nova. Once touted as the best CCS plant on plant it is now the best dead CCS plant on the planet since it was mothballed recently. Morrison might say it is just resting, but to most expert observers it looks pretty dead. 3/N
Captured CO2 from the now deceased Petra Nova plant was also being used for enhanced oil recovery, and hence not stored in a secure geological reservoir. Hardly consistent with getting to zero emissions 4/N https://reneweconomy.com.au/does-best-ccs-power-station-in-world-provide-model-for-australia-72476/
Another deceased CCS flagship project was the Kemper power plant, a $7.5 billion project whose complexity was compared to the Apollo program. Just as well Neil Armstrong was not given this kind of Parrot...by 2017 CCS was dropped as too hard... 5/N. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/02/clean-coal-america-kemper-power-plant?
Behind these failures lie not just technological issues but basic economics. CCS is too costly. Lazard's 2019 review of levelised cost of energy shows in most major markets solar PV is already cheaper than peaking gas units and wind is often cheaper than natural gas CCGT 6/N
Adding in CCS to gas power would increase the already decisive economic advantage of renewables over natural gas power plant. This differential can only be expected to increase as declining renewable and storage cost trends are expected to continue. 7/N
Exacerbating the adverse economics of CCS power plant is that capacity factors of order 80–90% are likely to be needed. This will not be achieved in combination with a high penetration of variable renewables. CCS power has a high marginal cost compared to renewables 8/N
CCS cost in the electricity sector have not reduced over the last decade. A 2015 study shows costs of CO2 capture had increased by around 32-49% compared to the costs estimated in the 2005 IPCC Special Report on CCS. Far from resting CCS went backwards. 9/N
There appears to be virtually no preparation underway for at deployment of CCS either as retrofit, or for new build powerplants anywhere in the world at present. The 2020 Global CCS review indicates only three powerplant planned for possible deployment of CCS by late 2020s. 10/N
In Australia despite over a billion dollars of Australian government spending on CCS initiatives since 2003, there are still no large-scale coal with CCS operations in Australia. As far as dead parrots go, it is a very costly one ...10/N
https://www.tai.org.au/sites/default/files/P357%20Money%20for%20nothing_0.pdf
https://www.tai.org.au/sites/default/files/P357%20Money%20for%20nothing_0.pdf
CCS significantly increases the water withdrawal rate of power plants for cooling purposes. It is not clear there has been any real assessment of this in Australia which is suffering from Increased heat, drought and water stress 11/N
A fundamental problem with CCS in the power sector is that it does not reduce CO2 emissions to zero. Emissions can be reduced by 80-90% typically, whereas the power sector needs to reach zero emissions by the 2030s for Paris Agreement compatibility. 12/N
CCS advocates often overlook the seriousness of challenges with transport and secure geological storeage, legal liability and regulatory issues. It is very telling that that liability for CCS storeage at Chevron’s Gorgon rests with the Commonwealth and WA Governments 13/N
The Morrison Government and its proxies from its COVID-19 Commission have heavily promoted CCS. As the ABC analysis shows there is much exaggeration. Chevron’s CCS project may not be dead, and at best it can be said to resting heavily....14/N. https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2020-09-19/angus-taylor-carbon-capture-storage-gorgon-chevron/12676732
On CCS the Morrison Government are trying to sell us all a Dead Parrot. They are hoping we are gullible enough to believe that CCS, rather than being the technological nightmare and financial boondoggle it is, it has just been resting and pining for the Norwegian fjords. 15/N
