The prospects of flexible natural gas-fired CCGT within a green taxonomy
Mai Bui, Nixon Sunny, Niall Mac Dowell
Abstract
Despite increased commitments toward net zero, there will likely be a continued need for natural gas to provide low carbon dispatchable power and blue hydrogen to balance the increased penetration of renewables. We evaluate the CO 2 emissions intensity of electricity produced by (i) natural gas-fired combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plants with carbon capture and storage (CCS), and (ii) blue hydrogen CCGT plants which uses steam methane reforming with CCS to supply H 2 . This study aims to determine whether these assets are able to meet a possible green taxonomy emissions threshold of 100 kg CO 2 eq/MWh. Key considerations include methane leakage, CO 2 capture rate, and the impacts of start-up and shut down cycles performed by the CCGT-CCS plant. This study suggests that, in order for natural gas to play an enduring role in the transition toward net zero, managing GHG emissions from both the upstream natural gas supply chain and the conversion facility is key.