Costs and performance of an oxygen-blown IGCC plant with CCS on a first-of-a-kind basis in Japan

Abstract The Japanese government recently funded the feasibility study (FS) on conceptual designs for oxygen-blown Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) + carbon capture and storage (CCS) systems. This paper presents the results of the economic evaluations conducted in the FS. The systems are first-of-a-kind (FOAK) bases with a net output power of 300 MWe. It also illustrates a design for a post-demonstration brownfield plant to be constructed in Japan in the 2020s. The study assesses transportation and storage technologies, and site-specific characteristics for transportation by ship and pipeline (PL). With CCS, the construction cost for transportation is the highest (40–60%), closely followed by separation and recovery costs. CCS raises the cost of electricity (COE), of which 30–60% is due to CO 2 transportation. The costs of CO 2 avoided and CO 2 captured show a trend similar to the construction cost. Ship transport is more promising given the flexibility in CO 2 storage sites along Japan's coastline and the high unit cost of PL transportation. The overnight cost and levelized COE of the IGCC + CCS plant in the FS (FOAK plant) are relatively higher than those for the plants evaluated in other studies (commercial plants).