Coordinating the Deployment of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage

Abstract

Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) is a negative emissions technology that allows the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere while producing energy or goods. This technology has been increasingly pictured as key to reaching the Paris Agreement targets. But with only a few demonstration projects currently in operation, its deployment is far from projected. The large-scale deployment of BECCS is hindered by economic, social, and environmental barriers that have been subject to an increasing number of studies. As most research on BECCS tends to adopt a central planning perspective, the barriers related to strategic interactions and coordination issues within the BECCS value chain are often overlooked. Based on a systematic literature review, we identify coordination-related challenges for BECCS deployment. We describe three challenges to BECCS deployment that should be further examined through the lens of coordination: (i) trading biomass and ensuring its sustainability; (ii) reducing costs through synergies with other industries and shared CO2 infrastructures; and (iii) coordinating policies internationally to provide revenues for BECCS.