Measures to reduce carbon footprint at thermal power plants

The article is devoted to the problem of reducing the carbon footprint of existing thermal power plants (TPPs) in the context of global climate change and tightening environmental policy in the Russian Federation. The main focus is on gas TPPs, which form the basis of the domestic energy system. The article analyzed the structure of greenhouse gas emissions, as a result of which the process of stationary combustion of fuel in boiler units was determined as the dominant source of the carbon footprint (over 90%). Based on the review of the best available technologies and successful industry practices, a set of technical and organizational measures was proposed aimed at reducing direct emissions and increasing the overall energy efficiency of the power facility. The proposed approach combines two key areas – technological modernization and organizational and technical measures. The paper assesses the potential environmental effectiveness of the proposed measures, and also presents a model assessment of their economic feasibility, demonstrating differentiated payback periods for projects of different sizes. It was concluded that the systematic implementation of the proposed measures is a realistic way to decarbonize existing thermal power plants. This makes it possible to achieve a significant reduction in emissions while maintaining economic feasibility and increasing operational efficiency.