BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 14
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Coalfired generation will remain above its 2019 level until mid-2030s, Trend reports with reference to bp’s Energy Outlook 2022.
The company notes that in order to avoid any increase in coalfired generation, one option would be for wind and solar power to increase even more rapidly. But that would require wind and solar capacity to increase by nearly twice the rapid speed already assumed in Accelerated, reaching 250GW by the mid-2020s.
“An alternative option would be for gas-powered generation to increase temporarily from the levels assumed in Accelerated, such that in the late 2020s it is around three times its level in 2019. Given the current under-utilization of existing gas-fired power capacity in India this would be possible with little or no increase in gas generation capacity,” reads the report.
bp believes that natural gas can potentially play two important roles as the world transitions to a low-carbon energy system: increasing the speed at which fast growing emerging economies reduce their dependency on coal, and providing a source of low-carbon energy when combined with carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS). The potential role of gas to help quicken the pace at which emerging economies reduce their use of coal can be illustrated by the outlook for the Indian power sector in Accelerated.
“Natural gas can also support the transition to a low-carbon energy system by providing a source of lowcarbon energy when combined with CCUS. By 2050, around 45% of the natural gas consumed in Accelerated and 80% in Net Zero is abated using CCUS. Around half of this gas is used directly in industry and power. The remainder is used to produce blue hydrogen, which is subsequently used as a low-carbon energy carrier or feedstock,” the report says.
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