High-capture-rate carbon capture and storage enables cost-effective decarbonization of Europe’s power sector

Abstract Reducing reliance on fossil fuels is essential for achieving international climate goals, but an immediate phase-out can create economic and system reliability challenges. A transitional option is to equip fossil fuel power plants with carbon capture and storage to reduce emissions. Here, we use a numerical capacity expansion model of the European power sector to explore how different carbon capture and storage deployment strategies, particularly high-capture-rate technologies that remove nearly all emissions, affect long-term system outcomes. Using scenario-based analysis, we find that cost-efficient decarbonization can be achieved through a combination of renewable energy and carbon capture and storage, including standard technologies that remove most emissions and advanced options that remove nearly all emissions. By 2050, fossil-based generation equipped with carbon capture and storage supplies a substantial share of electricity in many scenarios, exceeding today’s unabated fossil generation. However, relying exclusively on renewable energy and carbon capture and storage becomes increasingly costly at high levels of decarbonization, indicating that carbon dioxide removal is needed to achieve climate targets in a cost-efficient manner. The results provide insights into policy and infrastructure requirements for sustainable long-term deployment.