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Library for Developers
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Information assembled specifically for coal-based
IGCC project developers.
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Bookmarks on this page |
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Overview |
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Project Economics |
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Project Financing |
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Operation and Maintenance Issues |
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Availability and Reliability Data |
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Environmental Benefits and Perspective |
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Repowering
Existing Natural Gas Facilities |
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More Information |
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Overview |
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IGCC projects are successfully operating in the United States
and around the world. Most of these projects are using petroleum
residuals (petcoke, etc.), but coal-based IGCC is also proven at
the ≈250 MWe level. Two of America's largest utilities -- American
Electric Power and Cinergy -- announced plans in 2004 to build
large (500 to 1,000 MWe) commercial-scale IGCC power projects
before the end of the decade. For an introduction to the state
of development of this technology, the following documents are
recommended: |
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Industry In Transition - The 2004 World
Gasification Survey, James Childress (Gasification
Technologies Council), 2004 Gasification Technology
Conference, October 3, 2004 (15 pages).
 Summary |
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IGCC - AEP's Pathway for the Future of Coal,
Robert Powers (American Electric Power), 2004
Gasification Technology Conference, October 3, 2004 (12
pages).
Summary |
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IGCC - The Stars Are Aligned, Roger
Goodman (Cambridge Energy Research Associates), 2004
Gasification Technology Conference, October 3, 2004
(7 pages).
Summary |
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Gasification - The Future of Power Generation,
Brian Ferguson (Eastman Chemical Company), 2002
Gasification Technology Conference, October 28, 2002 (7
pages).
Summary |
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Project Economics |
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Proponents of gasification believe that the capital costs for
the next generation of coal-based IGCC projects will be
competitive with (or better than) pulverized coal plants. They
also believe that the overall "cost of energy" (cost of
electricity produced) is competitive with PC plants and also
with natural gas combined cycle projects. Recent
project economics papers include: |
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Pulverized Coal and IGCC Plant Cost and
Performance Estimates, George Booras and Neville Holt (EPRI), 2004 Gasification Technology
Conference, October 3, 2004 (9 pages).
Summary |
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Cost & Performance of Current IGCC
Offering, Phil Amick (ConocoPhillips), Gasification
Technologies Workshop, June 8, 2004 (24 pages).
Summary |
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The Economics of Generation Technologies
- Present and Future, Yorgos Papatheodorou (Lockwood
Greene), Power-Gen International 2003, December 9, 2003
(16 pages).
Summary |
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Project Financing |
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Coal-based IGCC projects are under active development by
regulated utilities (e.g. AEP and Cinergy) and independent power
producers (e.g. Excelsior Energy).
At present, various
financing mechanisms and government incentives are being
discussed. Here are a few useful documents: |
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Coal-Based Integrated Coal Gasification
Combined Cycle: Market Penetration Recommendations and
Strategies, Richard Aiken, Kenneth Ditzel, Frank
Morra, and David Wilson (Booz Allen Hamilton), 2004
(100 pages).
Summary |
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Deploying IGCC in this Decade with
3Party Covenant Financing, William Rosenberg, Dwight
Alpern, and Michael Walker (Kennedy School of
Government, Harvard University), 2004 (106 pages).
Summary |
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Can a Coal-Based IGCC Be Commercially
Financed?, Herbert Kosstrin (RW Beck), Gasification
Technologies Workshop, June 8, 2004 (11 pages).
Summary |
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An Analysis of the Institutional
Challenges to Commercialization and Deployment of IGCC
technology in the U.S. Electric Industry... John
O'Brien and Joel Blau (Global-Change Associates), 2004.
(112 pages).
Summary |
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Operation and Maintenance Issues |
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The two U.S. and two European coal-based IGCC project have
experienced various
O&M issues (as to be expected with first-of-kind
facilities). For a candid discussion of some of these issues see: |
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Coal-Based IGCC Plants - Recent
Operations and Lessons Learned, Neville Holt
(EPRI), 2004 Gasification Technology Conference, October
3, 2004 (13 pages).
Summary |
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Availability and Reliability Data |
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Existing coal IGCC plants have only recently achieved levels of
availability deemed necessary for baseload powerplants (i.e. ≥
90% available). However, Eastman
Chemical Co. has operated a coal-to-chemicals gasification
facility for more than two decades. Using a
spare gasifier, the Eastman plant has achieved annual on-stream availability of 97-98%
every year since 1984. Useful documents about the
reliability and availability of gasifiers and IGCC facilities
include: |
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Update on Operations and Economic
Improvement Opportunities, Nate Moock (Eastman
Gasification Services), 2004 Gasification Technology
Conference, October 3, 2004 (22 pages).
Summary |
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The Experience of Snamprogetti's Four
Gasification Projects, Guido Collodi and Daslav
Brkic (Snamprogetti), 2003 Gasification Technology
Conference, October 12, 2003 (9 pages).
Summary |
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Environmental Benefits and
Perspective |
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In addition to the favorable economics described above, IGCC
plants produce substantially lower levels of criteria air
pollutants, consume less water, generate fewer solid wastes, and
use less coal compared to other coal-based powerplants. In
addition -- as Eastman has proven at its Tennessee facility --
gasification is readily amenable to cost-effective mercury
remediation. Finally, IGCC provides an economically
efficient pathway for the removal and storage of carbon dioxide
should such capture and sequestration be required
in
the United States eventually. Key documents on these subjects: |
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Major Environmental Aspects of
Gasification-Based Power Generation Technologies,
Jay Ratafia-Brown, Lynn Manfredo, Jeff Hoffman, and
Massood Ramezan (all Science Applications International
Corp.), 2002, (270 pages).
Summary |
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The BACT Analysis: Does IGCC Meet the
Test?, John Thompson (Clean Air Task
Force), Gasification Technologies Workshop, June 8, 2004
(11 pages).
Summary |
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Cost of Mercury Removal from Coal-Based
IGCC Relative to a PC Plant, Michael Rutkowski, M.
Klett, and R. Maxwell (all Parsons Infrastructure and
Technology Group, Inc.), 2002 Gasification Technology
Conference, October 28, 2002 (26 pages).
Summary |
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Summary of Recent IGCC Studies of CO2
Capture for Sequestration, Neville Holt and George
Booras (EPRI), Douglas Todd
(Process Power Plants), 2003 Gasification Technology
Conference, October 12, 2003 (9 pages).
Summary |
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Repowering Existing Natural Gas
Facilities |
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A hot gasification topic at the present time is whether it is
technically and economically feasible to convert existing natural gas "peak" load powerplants to IGCC
baseload facilities. Recommended reading: |
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To Convert or Not to Convert -
Understanding the NG to IGCC Conversion Option,
Norman Shilling, Robert Jones, and Ravi Annigeri (all GE Energy), 2004
Gasification Technology Conference, October 3, 2004
(11 pages).
Summary |
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Refueling: Retrofitting Coal
Gasification to a NGCC, Ron Herbanek and
Phil Amick (ConocoPhillips), 2004
Gasification Technology Conference, October 3, 2004
( pages).
Summary |
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More Information |
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The clean-energy.us information database contains many topics
that may be useful for IGCC project developers: |
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IGCC vs. Other Power Generation Technologies |
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Trends and Developments - Worldwide |
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Trends and Developments - North America |
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Economics - Development Costs |
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Economics - Operational Economics |
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Project Financing - IGCC Market Penetration |
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Project Financing - Successful Financing Mechanisms |
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General Environmental Assessments |
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Projects in Commercial Operation - Multi-project Case
Studies |
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Additional topics |
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