The first utility-scale power plant to be equipped with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology became operational this month in Canada. Canada refurbished an older unit, extending its life 30 years and retrofitted it with CCS equipment at a cost of $1.35 billion Canadian ($1.2 billion U.S.).[1] This is 3 times as much as building a similar-sized plant from scratch without CCS and this Canadian plant was only refurbished. Besides the large cost, Canada has found that there are formidable challenges that must be overcome before CCS is ready to provide a significant role in electric utility operations.[ii]
