Summit Power claims its planned gas-fired power station with carbon capture, the Caledonia Clean Energy Project (CCEP) will be able to ramp its power output up and down, and its cost will stack up against other options, according to feasibility studies.
Previously, carbon capture from natural gas plants was considered to require steady state operation. CCEP will have a ramp rate of up to 88MW per minute.
The study, by Summit Power, concludes that a natural gas power plant with CO2 capture, using existing commercial technology, is technically and financially feasible, and can be delivered in the early 2020s. It concludes that the plant will require a Contract for Difference with a strike price of £80-90/MWh. “The CfD should be adjusted to reward flexible generation with payment for capacity and ancillary services,” it adds.
CCEP project director Stephen Kerr said, “The existing pipeline system that can transport CO2 to the North Sea gives Scotland a tremendous cost advantage. It’s important that we seize this opportunity whilst the pipelines still exist.” The feasibility study notes that “95% of required pipelines for the project already exist and are suitable for re-purposing at lower cost and lower risk than new build assets, representing a saving of up to £440 million in capital costs”.
The 1300MW project is planned for Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth. The feasibility report also highlights the opportunity to develop a low carbon cluster around Grangemouth, combining the low carbon CCEP power plant as an “anchor” tenant with industrial CO2 capture from Scotland’s major emitters in the area.
Read a summary of the feasibility study here