Here is a pdf version available below:
https://www.climatexchange.org.uk/media/5132/cxc-review-of-international-delivery-of-negative-emission-technologies-february-2022.pdf
Executive Summary
1.1 Aims
Negative Emissions Technologies (NETs) are technologies which remove greenhouse
gases from the atmosphere, resulting directly or indirectly in net negative emissions. The
Scottish Government is currently considering two main forms of engineered NETs:
direct air capture with carbon capture and storage (DACCS); and
bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), which can take many forms
and configurations.
Whilst other options for NETs may develop in the future these technologies are considered
as having greatest potential for deployment in Scotland by the mid-2030s.
The Scottish Parliament has legislated ambitious climate targets to reach net zero by 2045
and achieve a 75% emissions reduction by 2030. In 2020, the Scottish Government
published an update to its Climate Change Plan, which identified NETs as a key
component to meeting its emissions targets. The plan includes an envelope for NETS
which would see these technologies scale up to deliver 5.7 MtCO2e/year of negative
emissions by 2032. In 2022, the Scottish Government will commence a feasibility study to
explore NETs and ways to incentivise early NETs development to reach the 2032
envelope.
This report looks at international case studies relevant to NETs projects covering DACCS
and a wide range of BECCS configurations seen in current projects, and explored their
applicability to deployment in Scotland.
1.2 Findings
The case studies in this review, while being diverse in background, scope, maturity, and
targets, have shown to have a few consistent high-level similarities. These similarities lead
to the following conclusions:
1) Implementing a commercial business model through the sale of CO2 credits,
licensing of the technology, or the creation and sale of co-products, makes
scalability easier and reduces risk.
2) Availability and contribution of public funding can enable projects to start with
lower private investment. This is particularly the case for projects with a higher
capital costs.
3) Successful projects are often located near long-term storage locations,
minimising cost of transport and storage.
4) Schemes which capture higher purity CO2 streams are likely to be more
economically viable, with lower associated costs (particularly operating costs).
5) Many BECCS projects require secure, local and sustainable feedstock supplies
which meet the plant capacities, quality and biogenic content requirements.
6) Higher carbon prices, carbon taxes or tax credits in some countries have
created markets where NETs are more commercially viable.
After evaluating the applicability for Scotland of each case study, a tentative indication of
potential of different NETs emerged. In terms of raw delivery of negative emissions and
early deployment we found that:
DACCS and BECCS Energy from Waste (EfW) show the most immediate promise.
Medium-sized early opportunities for negative emissions exist in BECCS Power,
Industry, and Biomethane.
Finally, the smallest immediate opportunity, based on the available evidence in this
horizon scan, initially appears to be in BECCS Biofuels and Hydrogen due to lower
retrofit opportunities and relatively lower current CO2 emissions from their targeted
industrial/production processes in the country.
1.3 Recommendations
Our analysis has highlighted specific areas to explore further:
1) Explicitly quantify the short/medium-term NETs potential in Scotland - Update
previous work by Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage (SCCS), which is Scotland’s
point of coordination for CCS research and development. Given the critical nature of
this sector, this should be reassessed and extended to ensure calculated potentials
are based on robust and recent data (e.g. future waste availability/composition). A
focus on the short-medium term would help to ensure targeted and actionable outputs
for Scottish Government.
2) Brief evaluation of Scottish NETs costs - Update costs from international projects
with consideration of the local context. For example, Scottish electricity and CO2 T&S
costs, and CO2 transport options for larger NETs plants including indicative costs.
3) Evaluation of plant specific techno-economics - Estimate specific costs and
technical NETs conversion feasibilities of potential large NETs opportunities. This may
allow for prioritisation of short-term efforts.
4)Assess build-out rates and supply chain limitations - Understand the realistic
timeframes for deploying NETs in the short and medium terms.
5) Create a priority list of high-potential options – Pursue project options based on
the economic, technical and practical limitations identified, moving beyond the initial
general categorisation of opportunities provided here.
6) Explore long-term NETs potential of Scotland, focusing on the 2045 target - Bring
in a long-term perspective, breaking out of short term build out rates and envisioning
wider technological transitions, such as BECCS hydrogen or biofuels.
7) Identify key policy enablers and actions for the Scottish Government - Identify
the levers available to the Scottish Government as a devolved administration, and
emerging UK-wide Greenhouse Gas Removal (GGR) support mechanisms.