Achieving negative emissions with BECCS (bioenergy with carbon capture and storage) in the power sector: New insights from the TIAM-FR (TIMES Integrated Assessment Model France) model

Abstract : It seems increasingly likely that atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration will overshoot the recommended 450 ppm CO2 equivalent target. Therefore, it may become necessary to use BECCS (bioenergy with carbon capture and storage) technologies to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. This technique is gaining increasing attention as it offers the dual benefit of providing low-carbon energy products and leading to negative CO2 emissions. This study evaluates the possible deployment of BECCS in the power sector using the bottom-up multiregional optimization model TIAM-FR (TIMES Integrated Assessment Model France). Under two climate scenarios, a regional analysis is conducted to discuss where the technology will be developed. The impact of the unavailability of this technology on the structure of the electricity mix and the cost of the energy system completes the analysis. In line with literature, the results suggest that BECCS technology offers an environmentally and economically viable option to achieve stringent targets. The regional analysis shows that industrialized countries will develop CCS (carbon capture and storage) mainly on biomass power plants while CCS on fossil fuel power plants will be widely deployed in China. With a specific constraint on CCS diffusion, the share of renewables and nuclear energy becomes significant to meet the climate targets.