| Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is an | | | | |
| approach to mitigating climate change by | | | | Storage of the CO2 is envisaged either in |
| capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from large | | | | deep geological formations, deep oceans, or |
| point sources such as power plants and | | | | in the form of mineral carbonates. Geological |
| subsequently storing it away safely instead | | | | formations are currently considered the most |
| of releasing it into the atmosphere. | | | | promising, and these are estimated to have a |
| Technology for capturing of CO2 is already | | | | storage capacity of at least 2000 Gt CO2. |
| commercially available for large CO2 | | | | IPCC estimates that the economic potential of |
| emitters, such as power plants. Storage of | | | | CCS could be between 10% and 55% of the total |
| CO2, on the other hand, is a relatively | | | | carbon mitigation effort until year 2100. |
| untried concept and as yet (2006) no power | | | | |
| plant operates with a full carbon capture and | | | | Capturing and compressing CO2 requires much |
| storage system. Currently, United States | | | | energy, significantly raising the costs of |
| government has approved the construction of | | | | operation, apart from the added investment |
| world's first CCS power plant, FutureGen, | | | | costs. It would increase the energy needs of |
| while BP has indicated that it intends to | | | | a plant with CCS by about 10-40%. This, the |
| develop a 350 MW carbon capture and storage | | | | costs of storage, and other system costs are |
| plant in Scotland, in which the carbon from | | | | estimated to increase the costs of energy |
| natural gas will be stripped out and pumped | | | | from a power plant with CCS by 30-60%, |
| into the Miller field in the North Sea. | | | | depending on the specific circumstances. |
| | | | |
| CCS applied to a modern conventional power | | | | The costs of CCS are dominated by costs of |
| plant could reduce CO2 emissions to the | | | | capture. The storage is relatively cheap, |
| atmosphere by approximately 80-90% compared | | | | geological storage in saline formations or |
| to a plant without CCS. Capturing and | | | | depleted oil or gas fields typically cost |
| compressing CO2 requires a great deal of | | | | $0.5-8 per ton of CO2 injected, plus an |
| energy and would increase the fuel needs of a | | | | additional $0.1-0.3 for monitoring costs. |
| plant with CCS by 10-40%. These and other | | | | However, when storage is combined with |
| system costs are estimated to increase the | | | | Enhanced oil recovery to extract extra oil |
| cost of energy from a power plant with CCS by | | | | from an oil field, the storage could yield |
| 30-60% depending on the specific | | | | net benefits of $10-16 per ton of CO2 |
| circumstances. | | | | injected (based on 2003 oil prices). |