Carbon Capture Costs: FEED & pre-FEED Cost Reports

The CEMEX Balcones Carbon Capture project is a DOE-supported Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study evaluating commercial-scale deployment of RTI International’s non-aqueous solvent (NAS) technology at the Balcones cement plant in New Braunfels, Texas. The study assessed capture of approximately 2.4 million tonnes of CO₂ per year at roughly 95% capture efficiency from cement kiln flue gas and an associated natural gas–fired boiler, developing an AACE Class 3 cost estimate and detailed engineering design to support future investment decisions. Led by RTI International with KBR as EPC engineering contractor and SLB Capturi as owner’s engineer and technology licensor, the project evaluated integration challenges such as limited cooling water availability, resulting in a hybrid air- and water-cooling configuration. The FEED estimated total project capital costs of about $849 million and annual operating costs of approximately $109 million, providing a techno-economic basis for large-scale cement decarbonization and future project execution planning.

Dastur International Inc., with Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., is designing a carbon capture system for the 5 mtpa integrated steel plant in Burns Harbor, Indiana, to capture 50–70% of CO₂ emissions from blast furnace gas. The system will combine a gas flow distribution network, a specialized conditioning process, and ION Clean Energy’s solvent-based capture technology with 90–98% efficiency, with water-gas shift reactors enabling higher capture rates. Dastur will lead overall plant integration and engineering, while ION designs the capture island and Dastur Energy optimizes design and energy performance.

Calpine Texas CCUS Holdings LLC, with Electricore Inc., is conducting a FEED study for a modular post-combustion CO₂ capture system at the Deer Park Energy Center NGCC plant in Texas. Using Shell’s commercial-scale amine technology, the system will capture 95% of emissions—about 5 MTPA—while maintaining low energy use and fast reaction rates. The study will include business case, techno-economic, life cycle, environmental, and public policy analyses, including environmental justice and job creation impacts.