The role of BECCS in deep decarbonization of China's economy: A computable general equilibrium analysis

Climate change has significant impacts on natural ecosystems and human living environments. Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is a critical technology that can offer net CO2 emission reductions while providing a sustainable energy supply at lower costs. The role of the BECCS deployment in achieving deep decarbonization in China needs to be quantified. Scenario analyses were conducted in this study based on a computable general equilibrium energy-economic model, the China-in-Global Energy Model (C-GEM), with detailed representations of BECCS. The results showed that BECCS will capture 0.59 gigatonnes of CO2 in 2050 under the 2 °C Scenario and 0.95 gigatonnes of CO2 in 2050 under the 1.5 °C Scenario, respectively. If these emission targets have to be reached without BECCS, the carbon price and gross domestic product (GDP) losses will be higher. Especially under the 1.5 °C Scenario, the deployment of BECCS can reduce the carbon price by 61% and the GDP loss rate by three percentage points in 2050 compared with that without the deployment of BECCS. •BECCS plays a significant role in the deep decarbonization of China's economy.•BECCS can greatly reduce CO2 mitigation costs in China.•More stringent CO2 emission constraints mean a more significant role for BECCS.