The cost of conserved water for coal power generation with carbon capture and storage in Alberta, Canada

The impact of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology on the coal-fired power generation was evaluated in this paper. The impact was measured through the cost of conserved water (CCW) as an indicator. This indicator was estimated by combining water demand coefficients and levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). CCW was calculated based on a reference case for each of the developed 66 generic pathways of coal-based power generation with CCS. The current existing mix of power generation in the Province of Alberta, Canada was taken as the reference case in this paper. Water consumption coefficients for coal-based power generation with CCS were found in the range 1.01-4.85 m3/MWh based on the complete life cycle and 0.15-3.65 m3/MWh for the power generation stage. Based on the complete life cycle boundary, pathways involved ultra-supercritical configuration and oxyfuel combustion CCS technology offer the lowest CCW, with values less than 0.89 USD per m3 of water saved for consumption and less than 0.66 USD per m3 of water saved for withdrawals. In the sensitivity analysis, LCOE for the pathways involved dry cooling was increased by 6.00 USD/MWh over the base case value, and the resulted corresponding increase in the CCW was found in the range 9-33% compared to the base case.