PRESENT STATUS OF ADVANCED COAL-FIRED POWER-PLANTS

According to IEA data the total installed coal fired capacity for gene ration of electricity is about 950 GWe. The units generate annually 5 PWh of electricity, consuming over 2 Gt of coal. The amount of coal us ed for electricity generation is expected to grow at a compound averag e rate of 2% per annum in the late 90s. The bulk of growth comes from the OECD countries. Beyond the year 2000 the growth rate of the develo ping countries will start to surpass the growth rate of the OECD count ries. World demand for electricity will increase by a factor of 3-5 ov er the first half of the next century to about 35-50 PWh in 2050. Shou ld 40% be generated by coal then the 2500 GWe coal-fired capacity must be installed which is the equivalent of 4000 units of 600 MW each. Th is is a potential market for clean and more efficient coal technologie s to penetrate. A new generation of clean coal plants have been develo ped during the '80s and the early '90s and various demonstration plant s are coming on stream. This report will present a utility view on var ious competing coal-based technologies for the coming decade: the pulv erized coal-fired plant with advanced steam data (PF-USC), the integra ted coal gasification/combined cycle plant (IGCC), and the pressurized fluid-bed combustion combined cycle plant (PFBC-CC). Furthermore, the longer-term perspectives of new coal-based technologies for a deregul ated market will be addressed.