Capturing context: A sociotechnical feasibility assessment of carbon capture and storage in Norwegian waste incineration

Abstract

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is central to decarbonisation of the waste-to-energy industry. We complement existing lifecycle assessments and techno-economic analyses of CCS in waste-to-energy with a socio-technical perspective that emphasises interrelations between technologies, practices, institutions, and infrastructures in supporting (or not) development and diffusion of novel solutions such as CCS. More specifically, we assess the feasibility of CCS implementation in waste-to-energy through examining four Norwegian cases with regards to both general (national-sectoral) and local conditions. The feasibility assessment addresses four key dimensions: maturity of technology, developing CCS infrastructure and integration with existing systems, political feasibility, and social acceptance. Drawing on insights from the geography of sustainability transitions literature, we analyse these dimensions considering both general-sectoral and local conditions. Our findings reveal that the feasibility of CCS implementation is influenced by a variety of factors that are shared across the waste-to-energy industry in Norway, as well as highly localised factors at the plant or municipal level. These factors imply that there are limits to opportunities for direct implementation of newly commercialised technologies in other waste-to-energy contexts. From a policy perspective, the importance of such localised factors suggests that investment support for CCS in waste-to-energy should not be reserved exclusively for pioneer plants, and that different policy instruments may be needed for different plants.