Energy mass balanceCostingCarbon footprintHydrogen
Steam methane reforming (SMR) hydrogen plant with optional CO2 capture
Natural gas to hydrogen through a fired tubular reformer, shift and PSA, with no capture, syngas capture (55.7 %) or flue-gas capture (90 %): gas use, power export, CO2, CAPEX, O&M and LCOH on the IEAGHG 2017-02 basis, gas exported in MWh HHV like the ATR calculator.
Open Jack
Founder · OpenJack
- CurrencyEUR 2014
- Battery limitfully financed
- 97 documented assumptions
- Updated27 Oct 2026
Mass and energy balance
What the asset draws and delivers for the case and load you choose.
Reference case
Annual utilisation of nameplate capacity. IEAGHG uses 95 % (8322 h/y) after a first year at 70 %; the slider spans that 70-95 % range. Above 95 % is not grounded for a merchant SMR with planned turnarounds.
Flows
- In: Natural gas (feed + fuel, HHV)—
Asset
Steam methane reforming hydrogen plant
- Out: Hydrogen—
- Out: Electricity (net export)—
- Out: Captured CO2 (to transport and storage)—
Annual quantities at the current usage. Outline: full capacity, 8,760 h. Fill: 95.0 % capacity factor. Band width: share of energy in; non-energy flows are not to scale.
Nameplate hydrogen output at the battery limit (99.9 %+ PSA product). IEAGHG designs one 100,000 Nm3/h plant (8.994 t/h): gas, power and CO2 per Nm3 are read there and stay constant with size, while the capital follows a 0.79 power law on hydrogen capacity (Mullen et al. 2023, after Sinnott and Towler). The slider stays within the 300-1,000 MW HHV span over which that law is applied to SMR plants (BEIS 2021 reference sizes, Mullen's 1,000 MW plant), i.e. from about 85,000 Nm3/h, and stops at 150,000 Nm3/h, 1.5 times the IEAGHG anchor.
- Hydrogen output
- — kg/h
- Hydrogen output (LHV power)
- — MW
- Natural gas input (LHV)
- — MW
- Net power export
- — MW
CAPEX
Specific cost at this size, what backs it, and how it behaves with scale.
Specific CAPEX at this size
—
Reference size 100,000 Nm3/h
Mullen et al. (2023), after Sinnott and Towler, Chemical Engineering Design (2020).
Model value: the IEAGHG 2017-02 Total Capital Requirement of the selected configuration, scaled with the 0.79 law. Customized: your own all-in specific TCR replaces it at every size, with no scaling law applied; total plant cost and the O&M built on it follow your figure. The capital is then no longer sourced.
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- Ex-factory
- Installed
- Fully financed· this figure
Included
- Equipment and installation
- Indirect and owner's costs
- Contingency
Not included
- Nothing
Added at project level
- Nothing: project mode uses the figure as is
Project figures
Values passed to project mode when this asset is added to a project.
Steam methane reforming hydrogen plantConcept sketch, not to scale · drag to rotate
- Natural gas (feed + fuel, HHV) in
- —
- Hydrogen outMain product
- —
- Electricity (net export) out
- —
- Captured CO2 (to transport and storage) out
- —
- CAPEX to the battery limit
- —
- Fixed O&M
- —
- Variable O&M, excluding feedstocks
- —
- Asset lifetime
- 25 years
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Levelised cost of hydrogen
A standalone indicator for a quick read. Project mode recomputes it for the whole system.
—
- LCOH - capital—
- LCOH - fixed O&M—
- LCOH - natural gas—
- LCOH - water, chemicals and catalysts—
- LCOH - CO2 transport and storage—
- LCOH - CO2 emission cost—
- Power export credit (signed)—
Linked to the balance above
Annual utilisation of nameplate capacity. IEAGHG uses 95 % (8322 h/y) after a first year at 70 %; the slider spans that 70-95 % range. Above 95 % is not grounded for a merchant SMR with planned turnarounds.
Extra gas (and therefore CO2) per Nm3 of H2 at zero load, applied in proportion to the hours lost below 100 % capacity factor. IEAGHG prints design-point consumption only, so 0 reproduces it; no penalty value is grounded. Use it to test how a turned-down reformer erodes efficiency.
Delivered gas price for feed and fuel, per MWh on a higher heating value (HHV) basis: the basis of the natural gas inlet exported to project mode, and the same key and basis as the ATR calculator. The default is IEAGHG 2017-02's 6 EUR/GJ LHV converted with the report's own gas HHV/LHV (51.473 / 46.50 MJ/kg), in 4Q-2014 EUR; the range is its 2-18 EUR/GJ LHV sensitivity. The ATR calculator defaults to an IEAGHG 2022-07 Netherlands 2020 price (2020 EUR), not reproduced here.
Price at which the net power export is credited. IEAGHG base 80 EUR/MWh, sensitivity 20-100.
Paid per tonne of CO2 captured. IEAGHG base 10 EUR/t, sensitivity -20 to 40 EUR/t; a negative value means the CO2 is sold (for example for EOR). No effect without capture.
Price paid per tonne of CO2 still emitted at the plant gate. IEAGHG base 0 EUR/t, sensitivity 0-100 EUR/t.
Real discount rate as a fraction (0.08 = 8 %). All costs are constant 4Q-2014 EUR without escalation, so the rate is real. IEAGHG 8 %; IEAGHG 2022-07 uses 5 % and 10 % as sensitivities for both SMR and ATR.
Annuity period of the capital. IEAGHG 2017-02 uses 25 years, as does the ATR calculator, and tests 25 to 40 years in its sensitivities (PDF p.239). The slider stops at that 25-year base, the conservative end, since a longer life only lowers the LCOH; the 20-year floor is an OpenJack stress case for a shorter offtake, not a figure from the sources.
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Benchmarks
This model's figures against published references and reference cases.
Reference cases at this size and usage
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All results
Every model output at the current settings, grouped, with the sensitivity charts.
63 outputs · 6 groups · 20 also shown above, dimmed
Cost breakdown
24- LCOH per Nm3
- ComputingcEUR/Nm3
- LCOH per MWh of hydrogen (LHV)
- ComputingEUR/MWh
- LCOH - power export credit
- ComputingEUR/kg
- LCOH excluding the carbon price
- ComputingEUR/kg
- Net annual cost
- ComputingEUR/year
- Annualised capital
- ComputingEUR/year
- Capital recovery factor
- Computing1/year
- Maintenance
- ComputingEUR/year
- Insurance and local taxes
- ComputingEUR/year
- Direct labour
- ComputingEUR/year
- Overhead (indirect labour)
- ComputingEUR/year
- Operating staff
- Computingpersons
- Natural gas cost
- ComputingEUR/year
- Power export revenue
- ComputingEUR/year
Capital
6- Total plant cost (TPC)
- ComputingEUR
- Owner's cost
- ComputingEUR
- IDC, spares, start-up and working capital
- ComputingEUR
- Specific TCR per kW of hydrogen (LHV)
- ComputingEUR/kW
Flows
13- Hydrogen output per day
- Computingt/day
- Operating hours
- Computingh/year
- Natural gas mass flow
- Computingt/h
- Annual natural gas use
- ComputingGJ/year
- Annual natural gas use (MWh LHV)
- ComputingMWh/year
- Annual power export
- ComputingMWh/year
Performance
4- Natural gas per Nm3 of H2
- ComputingMJ/Nm3
- Natural gas per tonne of H2
- ComputingMWh/t
- Natural gas mass per kg of H2
- Computingkg/kg
- Hydrogen LHV efficiency
- Computing%
CO2
9- CO2 capture rate
- Computing%
- Direct CO2 intensity
- Computingkg/kg
- CO2 captured per kg of H2
- Computingkg/kg
- Annual CO2 emitted
- Computingt/year
- CO2 generated per GJ of gas
- Computingkg/GJ
- CO2 avoidance cost
- ComputingEUR/t
- Capture cost premium
- Computing%
- LCOH of the no-capture plant (same inputs)
- ComputingEUR/kg
Cross-checks
7- IEAGHG printed LCOH
- ComputingEUR/kg
- Deviation from the IEAGHG LCOH
- Computing%
- IEAGHG avoidance cost
- ComputingEUR/t
- NETL capture cost premium
- Computing%
- Deviation from the IPCC natural gas factor
- Computing%
- At the IEAGHG reference point
- Computingbool
- Inside the IEAGHG sensitivity box
- Computingbool
Sensitivities
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Sources
97 documented assumptions · 6 sources
- ieaghg.orgIEAGHG Technical Report 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler) - SMR merchant hydrogen plant with CCSdesign basis, Tables 1-5
- publications.ieaghg.orgIEAGHG 2022-07, Low-Carbon Hydrogen from Natural GasGlobal Roadmap - discount rate (8 %, 5/10 % sensitivities) and 25-year life only
- netl.doe.govNETL DOE/NETL-2022/3241 - fossil hydrogen technologies comparison, independent cross-check
- ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jpIPCC 2006 Guidelines, Vol. 2 Ch. 1, Table 1.4 - natural gas default CO2 emission factor
- doi.orgMullen et al. (2023), Int. J. Greenhouse Gas Control 126, 103904 - SMR with CCS techno-economics0.79 capacity scaling exponent (section 2.7)
- assets.publishing.service.gov.ukBEIS, Hydrogen Production Costs 2021 - 300 MW and 1,000 MW HHV SMR reference sizes (domain of the scaling law)
About
Calculator context
About
Calculator context
Screening techno-economics for a merchant steam methane reforming (SMR) hydrogen plant: desulphurisation, pre-reformer, fired tubular reformer, high-temperature shift and PSA, with a steam system whose surplus is expanded in a condensing turbine and exported as power. The capture option selects one of the three IEAGHG 2017-02 configurations (Amec Foster Wheeler, 100,000 Nm3/h, Dutch coast, 4Q-2014 EUR): no capture (Base Case), MDEA capture on the shifted syngas (Case 1A, 55.7 % of the CO2), or MEA capture on the reformer flue gas (Case 3, 90 %). Flue-gas capture reaches the process CO2 too, because the PSA tail gas is burnt in the reformer.
Every specific figure is read from the IEAGHG tables for the selected configuration: gas 14.212 / 14.676 / 15.614 MJ per Nm3 of H2 (43.9 / 45.3 / 48.2 MWh LHV/t), export power 9.918 / 1.492 / 0.426 MWe, CO2 emitted 9.00 / 4.12 / 0.99 kg/kg, TCR 222.89 / 263.91 / 398.48 MEUR. Gas, power and CO2 per Nm3 stay constant with size; the capital follows a 0.79 power law on hydrogen capacity (Mullen et al. 2023, after Sinnott and Towler), total plant cost is derived from that capital with the IEAGHG TPC/TCR ratio, and maintenance, insurance and taxes follow it. A Customized all-in specific TCR, in 4Q-2014 EUR, can replace the model value. Fixed O&M follows the IEAGHG key assumptions (maintenance 1.5 % of TPC, insurance and local taxes 1 %, 38 or 43 staff at 60,000 EUR/y, overhead 30 %). The LCOH is a real annuity on the Total Capital Requirement plus O&M, gas, consumables, CO2 transport and storage and an optional carbon price, net of the power export credit.
At the IEAGHG reference point (100,000 Nm3/h, 95 %, gas 6 EUR/GJ LHV i.e. 19.51 EUR/MWh HHV, power 80 EUR/MWh, T&S 10 EUR/t, carbon 0, 8 %, 25 years) the model returns 1.25 / 1.47 / 1.79 EUR/kg, i.e. 11.2 / 13.2 / 16.1 EUR cent/Nm3 against the 11.4 / 13.5 / 16.5 IEAGHG prints. It is 1.6-2.6 % low, and the reason is known: the annuity ignores the 70 % capacity factor of the first operating year in IEAGHG's DCF. The deviation is an output, with a flag that says when you are at the reference point. Without capture, gas is 0.95 EUR/kg of the 1.25, capital 0.28, fixed O&M 0.10, and the power credit takes 0.09 off. The model's CO2 avoidance cost is 46.2 and 67.4 EUR/t against IEAGHG's 47.1 and 69.8. Specific all-in capital is 744 / 881 / 1,330 EUR per kW of hydrogen (LHV).
Two independent checks are published as outputs. The IEAGHG carbon balance implies 56.9-57.0 kg of CO2 per GJ of gas in all three cases, 1.5 % above the IPCC 2006 natural gas default of 56.1. NETL's 2022 SMR (US Midwest, 2018 USD) uses 3.53 kg of gas and emits about 9.4 kg of CO2 per kg of H2, against 3.40 and 9.00 here, within 4 %; NETL does not print these two intensities, they are derived here from its Exhibit ES-2 gas, CO2 and hydrogen flows. NETL's capture premium (1.64 vs 1.06 USD/kg, +55 % for 96.2 % capture) is higher than the +43 % here for 90 %, mainly because its gas is cheaper so capital weighs more.
Economic defaults are IEAGHG 2017-02's, in 4Q-2014 EUR: gas 6 EUR/GJ LHV entered as 19.51 EUR/MWh HHV, power 80 EUR/MWh, T&S 10 EUR/t, carbon 0 EUR/t, 95 %; the 8 % real rate and 25 years are also IEAGHG 2022-07's. The ATR calculator of the same batch shares the gas price key and its HHV basis, the rate and the life, but defaults to IEAGHG 2022-07 Netherlands 2020 prices in 2020 EUR: align prices and capacity factor before comparing the two LCOH. The sliders span the IEAGHG 2017-02 sensitivity ranges (gas 2-18 EUR/GJ LHV i.e. 6.51-58.53 EUR/MWh HHV, power 20-100, T&S -20 to 40, carbon 0-100) and the 5-10 % discount sensitivities of IEAGHG 2022-07; over every corner of that box, and of the 85,000-150,000 Nm3/h capacity range, the LCOH stays between 0.49 and 4.74 EUR/kg on the model capital, and between 0.43 and 5.19 EUR/kg with a Customized TCR anywhere in its 1,895-5,380 EUR/(Nm3/h) range.
Limits. IEAGHG prices one plant size: the 0.79 exponent comes from another study, is applied to the whole capital including the capture island, and is held to 85,000-150,000 Nm3/h (from the 300 MW HHV lower end of the range over which it is applied to SMR, to 1.5 times the IEAGHG anchor). Costs are 4Q-2014 EUR with no escalation index. CO2 intensity is direct and plant-gate only: no upstream methane, no credit for the exported power. No separate steam export credit is modelled, since the surplus steam already leaves as power. The part-load fuel penalty defaults to 0 % and is not grounded; it is there for turndown studies. Project mode receives the TCR as a fully financed CAPEX, the gas as an inlet in MWh on an HHV basis (IEAGHG gas HHV/LHV 1.107), and hydrogen, net power and captured CO2 as outlets.
Model
189 variables — inputs, calculations and outputs, with their dependencies.
Model
189 variables — inputs, calculations and outputs, with their dependencies.
| Variable | Value | Unit | Depends on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100000 | Nm3/h | — | |
| 1 | — | — | |
| 0 | — | — | |
| 2230 | EUR/(Nm3/h) | — | |
| 95 | % | — | |
| 0 | % | — | |
| 19.51 | EUR/MWh | — | |
| 80 | EUR/MWh | — | |
| 10 | EUR/t | — | |
| 0 | EUR/t | — | |
| 0.08 | ratio | — | |
| 25 | years | — |
| Variable | Formula | Unit | Depends on |
|---|---|---|---|
if((<=)+(!=)*(!=)*(!=)+(<=)+(>)+(<)+(>)+(<)+(<)+(<)+(<)+(>=)+(<)+(<)+(>)+(>=)*((<)+(>))>,,) | bool | ||
if(==,,) | bool | ||
/max(,) | ratio | ||
*/max(,) | kg/Nm3 | ||
+**(-*) | ratio | ||
* | kg/year | ||
if(==,,if(==,,)) | MJ/Nm3 | ||
/max(,) | ratio | ||
*/max(,) | EUR/GJ | ||
(if(==,,if(==,+,+)))* | kg/Nm3 | ||
** | kg/Nm3 | ||
- | kg/Nm3 | ||
if(==,,if(==,,)) | MEUR | ||
if(==,,if(==,,)) | MEUR | ||
clamp(,,) | ratio | ||
^(-) | ratio | ||
*/max(,)* | EUR/(Nm3/h) | ||
** | EUR/year | ||
/max(**,) | ratio | ||
if(==,,if(==,,))* | EUR/year | ||
(+)* | EUR/year | ||
* | EUR/year | ||
* | EUR/year | ||
*** | EUR | ||
*(++)*+*+(*+****)** | EUR/year | ||
****++***/max(,)*+(++)*-*** | EUR/year | ||
*/max(,) | kg/kg | ||
- | kg/kg |
| Variable | Formula | Unit | Depends on |
|---|---|---|---|
* | kg/h | ||
*/max(,) | t/day | ||
*/max(,) | MW | ||
** | h/year | ||
/max(,) | t/year | ||
* | MJ/Nm3 | ||
/max(,)/max(,) | MWh/t | ||
/max(,)/max(,) | kg/kg | ||
*/max(,) | MW | ||
*/max(,)/max(,) | t/h | ||
**/max(,) | GJ/year | ||
/max(,) | MWh/year | ||
* | MWh/year | ||
*/max(,)* | % | ||
if(==,,if(==,,))* | MW | ||
* | MWh/year | ||
-*/max(,)- | MWh/year | ||
if(==,,if(==,,)) | % | ||
/max(,) | kg/kg | ||
/max(,) | kg/kg | ||
/max(,)* | kg/GJ | ||
(/max(,)-)* | % | ||
**/max(,) | t/year | ||
**/max(,) | t/year | ||
if(>=,,) | EUR/(Nm3/h) | ||
* | EUR | ||
*/max(,) | EUR | ||
** | EUR | ||
-- | EUR | ||
/max(*,) | EUR/kW | ||
if(<,/max(,),(*(+)^)/max((+)^-,)) | 1/year | ||
* | EUR/year | ||
** | EUR/year | ||
*(+)* | EUR/year | ||
+* | persons | ||
* | EUR/year | ||
(+)** | EUR/year | ||
+++ | EUR/year | ||
* | EUR/year | ||
* | EUR/year | ||
+++ | EUR/year | ||
+++- | EUR/year | ||
/max(,) | EUR/kg | ||
/max(,) | EUR/kg | ||
/max(,) | EUR/kg | ||
/max(,) | EUR/kg | ||
(+)/max(,) | EUR/kg | ||
/max(,) | EUR/kg | ||
/max(,) | EUR/kg | ||
/max(,) | EUR/kg | ||
- | EUR/kg | ||
** | cEUR/Nm3 | ||
*/max(,) | EUR/MWh | ||
if((abs(-)>)+(abs(-)>)+(>)+(abs(-)>)+(abs(-)>)+(abs(-)>)+(abs(-)>)+(abs(*-)>)+(abs(-)>)+(>=)>,,) | bool | ||
if((<)+(>)+(<)+(>)+(<)+(>)+(>)+(*<-)+(*>+)>,,) | bool | ||
if(==,,if(==,,))/max(*,) | EUR/kg | ||
(/max(,)-)* | % | ||
(-)/max(,) | EUR/kg | ||
/max(,) | EUR/kg | ||
if(<=,,(-)*/max(,)) | EUR/t | ||
if(==,,if(==,,)) | EUR/t | ||
(/max(,)-)* | % | ||
(/max(,)-)* | % |
Assumptions
97 assumptions used in the calculations
Assumptions
97 assumptions used in the calculations
Protects divisions; far below any physical value in the model.
Market range Not applicable.
0Numerical guard used across OpenJack DSL calculators.Neutral value used in guards and selectors.
Market range Exact.
0Numerical constant.Unit multiplier used in guards, CRF and the load penalty.
Market range Exact.
1Numerical constant.Turns a percent input (0-100) into a fraction.
Market range Exact.
0.011/%Unit conversion.Turns a fraction back into a percent and caps percent inputs.
Market range Exact.
100%Unit conversion.Annualisation basis of the capacity factor.
Market range 8760 (8784 in a leap year).
8760h/yearCalendar-year convention; IEAGHG 2017-02 states 95 % capacity factor = 8322 h/yTurns an hourly H2 rate into a daily output.
Market range Exact.
24h/dayCalendar convention.Mass conversion used across the mass and CO2 balances.
Market range Exact.
1000kg/tSI prefix conversion.IEAGHG prints capital costs in MEUR.
Market range Exact.
1000000EUR/MEURCurrency unit conversion.Gas energy in MJ/h to GJ (the unit gas is priced in).
Market range Exact.
1000MJ/GJSI prefix conversion.Converts GJ/t of hydrogen into MWh/t and annual GJ into MWh.
Market range Exact.
3.6GJ/MWhSI definition: 1 MWh = 3.6 GJ.Converts a MJ/h energy flow into MW.
Market range Exact.
3600MJ/MWhSI definition: 1 MWh = 3600 MJ.Specific CAPEX per kW of hydrogen LHV output.
Market range Exact.
1000kW/MWSI prefix conversion.IEAGHG prints its LCOH in EUR cent per Nm3.
Market range Exact.
100cEUR/EURCurrency subunit.Base Case: no CO2 capture.
Market range Selector code.
1Selector code for the capture_option input.Case 1A: MDEA capture on the shifted syngas (process CO2 only).
Market range Selector code.
2Selector code for the capture_option input.Case 3: MEA capture on the reformer flue gas (process and combustion CO2).
Market range Selector code.
3Selector code for the capture_option input.Reference plant size, and reference size of the capital scaling law. Gas, power and CO2 per Nm3 are read at this size and held constant; the capital scales with capacity to the power 0.79.
Market range No independent range is cited here; IEAGHG 2017-02 evaluates a single 100,000 Nm3/h plant.
100000Nm3/hIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Gives the H2 density used to turn Nm3 into kg: 8.994 t/h / 100,000 Nm3/h = 0.08994 kg/Nm3.
Market range 0.0899 kg/Nm3 is the normal density of hydrogen.
8.994t/hIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Hydrogen energy content, used for the LHV efficiency and the specific CAPEX per kW of H2.
Market range119.96MJ/kgIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Converts the gas energy flow into a gas mass flow.
Market range46.5MJ/kgIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Converts the LHV gas balance of the report into the HHV basis of the natural gas inlet and of the gas price input, so that a project gas price per MWh applies on the same basis here and in the ATR calculator.
Market range Specific to the IEAGHG design gas (89 % methane).
51.473MJ/kgIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Specific natural gas (feed + fuel, LHV) per Nm3 of H2 without capture.
Market range NETL 2022 Case 1: 3.53 kg NG/kg H2 (derived here from NETL Exhibit ES-2 flows (gas 156,482 lb/h and 118 lb CO2/MMBtu on 1,031,068 kWt, for 44,369 lb/h of H2), not printed by NETL) vs 3.40 here (+4 %).
14.212MJ/Nm3IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Specific gas with MDEA capture on shifted syngas (extra steam for solvent regeneration).
Market range +3.3 % vs Base Case.
14.676MJ/Nm3IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Specific gas with MEA capture on the reformer flue gas (supplementary firing for MEA reboiler steam).
Market range +9.9 % vs Base Case.
15.614MJ/Nm3IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Excess HP steam is expanded in a condensing turbine; the net power is exported and credited at the electricity price.
Market range Depends on the steam cycle; NETL Case 1 leaves excess steam unvalued.
9.918MWIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Less steam left for power once the MDEA reboiler is served.
Market range No range is printed: single IEAGHG 2017-02 design point (Table 2, PDF p.16).
1.492MWIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Almost all excess steam goes to the MEA reboiler and the CO2 compressor drive.
Market range No range is printed: single IEAGHG 2017-02 design point (Table 2, PDF p.16).
0.426MWIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Direct plant-gate CO2 per Nm3 of H2 without capture.
Market range NETL 2022 Case 1: about 9.4 kg CO2/kg H2 (derived here from NETL Exhibit ES-2 flows (gas 156,482 lb/h and 118 lb CO2/MMBtu on 1,031,068 kWt, for 44,369 lb/h of H2), not printed by NETL) vs 9.00 here.
0.8091kg/Nm3IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Residual CO2 (combustion CO2 in the flue gas) with syngas capture.
Market range No range is printed: single IEAGHG 2017-02 design point (Table 2, PDF p.16).
0.3704kg/Nm3IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Residual CO2 with 90 % capture on the flue gas.
Market range No range is printed: single IEAGHG 2017-02 design point (Table 2, PDF p.16).
0.0888kg/Nm3IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Process CO2 removed by MDEA from the shifted syngas.
Market range No range is printed: single IEAGHG 2017-02 design point (Table 2, PDF p.16).
0.466kg/Nm3IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)CO2 removed by MEA from the reformer flue gas, which carries both the process CO2 (via the PSA tail gas) and the combustion CO2.
Market range No range is printed: single IEAGHG 2017-02 design point (Table 2, PDF p.16).
0.8004kg/Nm3IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Share of the CO2 generated that is captured. Applied to the CO2 generated so the balance always closes.
Market range No independent range is cited here; single IEAGHG 2017-02 design point (55.7 %, Table 2, PDF p.16).
55.7%IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Share of the CO2 generated that is captured with flue-gas MEA.
Market range NETL 2022 reaches 96.2 % with capture on both syngas and flue gas.
90%IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Total Plant Cost of the reference plant: installed process units, utilities and offsites, EPC services, other costs and contingency. Base of maintenance, insurance and taxes.
Market range No independent range is cited here; IEAGHG 2017-02 rates its estimate AACE Class 4, +35 %/-15 % (PDF p.9 and p.219).
170.95MEURIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)TPC with the MDEA unit and CO2 compression.
Market range No independent range is cited here; IEAGHG 2017-02 rates its estimate AACE Class 4, +35 %/-15 % (PDF p.9 and p.219).
201.8MEURIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)TPC with the MEA unit on the flue gas and CO2 compression.
Market range No independent range is cited here; IEAGHG 2017-02 rates its estimate AACE Class 4, +35 %/-15 % (PDF p.9 and p.219).
305.33MEURIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Total Capital Requirement: TPC plus interest during construction, owner's costs, spares, start-up costs and working capital. This is the all-in capital annualised in the LCOH and exported to project mode.
Market range 1.30 x TPC in all three IEAGHG cases.
222.89MEURIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)All-in capital with syngas capture.
Market range No independent range is cited here; built on a TPC that IEAGHG 2017-02 rates AACE Class 4, +35 %/-15 % (PDF p.9).
263.91MEURIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)All-in capital with flue-gas capture.
Market range No independent range is cited here; built on a TPC that IEAGHG 2017-02 rates AACE Class 4, +35 %/-15 % (PDF p.9).
398.48MEURIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Shown as the owner's slice of the TCR - TPC gap; the rest is IDC, spares, start-up and working capital.
Market range No independent range is cited here; IEAGHG 2017-02 states 7 %.
7%IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Annual maintenance cost (labour plus materials).
Market range No independent range is cited here; IEAGHG 2017-02 assumes 1.5 % of TPC for all cases.
1.5%IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Labour share of maintenance; it enters the overhead base.
Market range No range is printed; IEAGHG 2017-02 assumes a 40:60 labour to materials ratio.
40%IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Annual insurance.
Market range No range is printed; IEAGHG 2017-02 assumes 0.5 % of TPC.
0.5%IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Annual local taxes and fees.
Market range No range is printed; IEAGHG 2017-02 assumes 0.5 % of TPC.
0.5%IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Operating staff. Fixed whatever the capacity, so specific labour cost falls with plant size.
Market range No range is printed; IEAGHG 2017-02 staffing estimate for the Base Case.
38personsIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Extra operators for the capture and compression units.
Market range No range is printed; IEAGHG 2017-02 staffing estimate for the capture cases.
5personsIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Direct labour cost per person.
Market range No independent range is cited here; IEAGHG 2017-02 assumes an average salary of 60,000 EUR/y (2014).
60000EUR/person/yearIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Administrative and support labour.
Market range No range is printed; IEAGHG 2017-02 assumes 30 %.
30%IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Chemicals at the reference plant and 8322 h/y; scaled with annual H2 output.
Market range No range is printed; IEAGHG 2017-02 fixes it for all cases.
100000EUR/yearIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Reformer, shift and PSA catalyst/adsorbent replacement at the reference plant; scaled with annual H2 output.
Market range No range is printed; IEAGHG 2017-02 fixes it for the cases used here (Case 2B, not modelled, is 405,000 EUR/y).
320000EUR/yearIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Raw (make-up) water cost at the reference plant.
Market range No range: IEAGHG 2017-02 Table 1 gives raw process water (0.2 EUR/m3) no sensitivity range (PDF p.12).
99365EUR/yearIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Raw water cost with syngas capture.
Market range No range: IEAGHG 2017-02 Table 1 gives raw process water (0.2 EUR/m3) no sensitivity range (PDF p.12).
101861EUR/yearIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Raw water cost with flue-gas capture (lower: less steam is condensed against cooling water).
Market range No range: IEAGHG 2017-02 Table 1 gives raw process water (0.2 EUR/m3) no sensitivity range (PDF p.12).
70071EUR/yearIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Operating hours at which the chemicals, catalyst and water costs are printed; used to scale them with the actual annual output.
Market range No range is printed; IEAGHG 2017-02 fixes 95 % after a 70 % first year (PDF p.7).
8322h/yearIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)IEAGHG default gas price, the default of the gas price input. Used to tell whether the current point is the IEAGHG reference point.
Market range IEAGHG 2017-02 sensitivity 2 to 18 EUR/GJ LHV (Table 1, PDF p.12; sensitivity table, PDF p.239).
6EUR/GJIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Lower edge of the grounded gas price box.
Market range Lower end of the IEAGHG 2017-02 sensitivity 2 to 18 EUR/GJ LHV (PDF p.12 and p.239).
2EUR/GJIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Upper edge of the grounded gas price box (about 65 EUR/MWh).
Market range Upper end of the IEAGHG 2017-02 sensitivity 2 to 18 EUR/GJ LHV (PDF p.12 and p.239).
18EUR/GJIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)The gas price is entered in EUR/MWh HHV with two decimals, so its LHV equivalent cannot hit 6 EUR/GJ exactly; the reference-point flag accepts a gap below this tolerance.
Market range Not applicable.
0.005EUR/GJNumerical tolerance of the reference-point flag.IEAGHG default electricity price for the power export credit.
Market range IEAGHG 2017-02 sensitivity 20 to 100 EUR/MWh (Table 1, PDF p.12; sensitivity table, PDF p.239).
80EUR/MWhIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Lower edge of the grounded electricity price box.
Market range Lower end of the IEAGHG 2017-02 sensitivity 20 to 100 EUR/MWh (PDF p.12 and p.239).
20EUR/MWhIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Upper edge of the grounded electricity price box.
Market range Upper end of the IEAGHG 2017-02 sensitivity 20 to 100 EUR/MWh (PDF p.12 and p.239).
100EUR/MWhIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)IEAGHG default CO2 T&S cost.
Market range IEAGHG 2017-02 sensitivity -20 to 40 EUR/t (Table 1, PDF p.12; sensitivity table, PDF p.239).
10EUR/tIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Lower edge of the grounded T&S box.
Market range Lower end of the IEAGHG 2017-02 sensitivity -20 to 40 EUR/t (PDF p.12 and p.239).
-20EUR/tIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Upper edge of the grounded T&S box.
Market range Upper end of the IEAGHG 2017-02 sensitivity -20 to 40 EUR/t (PDF p.12 and p.239).
40EUR/tIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)IEAGHG default carbon price.
Market range IEAGHG 2017-02 sensitivity 0 to 100 EUR/t (Table 1, PDF p.12; sensitivity table, PDF p.239).
0EUR/tIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Upper edge of the grounded carbon price box.
Market range Upper end of the IEAGHG 2017-02 sensitivity 0 to 100 EUR/t (PDF p.12 and p.239).
100EUR/tIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)IEAGHG default real discount rate.
Market range IEAGHG 2017-02 sensitivity 4 to 12 % (PDF p.239); IEAGHG 2022-07 tests 5 % and 10 % (PDF p.68).
8%IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Lower edge of the grounded discount rate box.
Market range IEAGHG 2022-07 sensitivity (PDF p.68), inside the 4 to 12 % IEAGHG 2017-02 sensitivity (PDF p.239).
5%IEAGHG 2022-07Upper edge of the grounded discount rate box.
Market range IEAGHG 2022-07 sensitivity (PDF p.68), inside the 4 to 12 % IEAGHG 2017-02 sensitivity (PDF p.239).
10%IEAGHG 2022-07IEAGHG default economic life (named reference_ so that it is not confused with the lifetime_years input).
Market range IEAGHG 2017-02 plant-life sensitivity 25 to 40 years (PDF p.239). The slider stops at this 25-year base, the conservative end; its 20-year floor is an OpenJack stress case, not a source figure.
25yearsIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)IEAGHG default capacity factor.
Market range No sensitivity range is printed; IEAGHG 2017-02 fixes 95 % after a 70 % first year (PDF p.7).
95%IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Printed IEAGHG LCOH, compared with the model at the IEAGHG reference point (1.27 EUR/kg).
Market range Printed result, not an input: no range applies (IEAGHG 2017-02 Table 5, PDF p.18).
11.4cEUR/Nm3IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Printed IEAGHG LCOH with syngas capture (1.50 EUR/kg).
Market range Printed result, not an input: no range applies (IEAGHG 2017-02 Table 5, PDF p.18).
13.5cEUR/Nm3IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Printed IEAGHG LCOH with flue-gas capture (1.83 EUR/kg).
Market range Printed result, not an input: no range applies (IEAGHG 2017-02 Table 5, PDF p.18).
16.5cEUR/Nm3IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Printed avoidance cost, compared with the model's own at the reference point.
Market range Printed result, not an input: no range applies (IEAGHG 2017-02 Table 5, PDF p.18).
47.1EUR/tIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Printed avoidance cost, compared with the model's own at the reference point.
Market range Printed result, not an input: no range applies (IEAGHG 2017-02 Table 5, PDF p.18).
69.8EUR/tIEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler)Independent US benchmark. Only its ratio to the capture case is used (no currency conversion).
Market range Printed NETL result (2018 USD, US Midwest), not an IEAGHG figure: no range applies.
1.06USD/kgNETL DOE/NETL-2022/3241 (April 2022)Independent US benchmark of the capture cost premium.
Market range Printed NETL result (2018 USD, US Midwest), not an IEAGHG figure: no range applies.
1.64USD/kgNETL DOE/NETL-2022/3241Independent check of the IEAGHG carbon balance: CO2 generated per GJ of gas (LHV) should sit close to the natural gas default factor.
Market range56.1kg/GJIPCC 2006 Guidelines for National GHG InventoriesSCOPE. Natural gas at the fence to 99.9 %+ hydrogen at the battery limit: desulphurisation, pre-reformer, fired tubular reformer, HT shift, PSA, steam system with condensing turbine, utilities and offsites, and (cases 2-3) the capture unit and CO2 compression. Hydrogen compression to a pipeline and CO2 transport and storage are outside; T&S is paid through a per-tonne cost.
Market range Not applicable (method statement).
—IEAGHG 2017-02CAPEX BOUNDARY. costs.capex.isbl exports the Total Capital Requirement (TPC + IDC + owner's costs + spares + start-up + working capital), already all-in, so costs.capex.battery_limit is 'fully_financed' and project mode adds nothing on top. Exporting TPC as 'installed' would add contingency a second time, since TPC already contains it.
Market range Not applicable (method statement).
—IEAGHG 2017-02 (Amec Foster Wheeler), Table 3: Total Capital Requirement = TPC + interest during construction + owner's costs + spares + start-up + working capital, PDF p.17.Exponent of the capacity power law on the total capital: TCR = TCR_IEAGHG x (capacity / 100,000 Nm3/h)^0.79, i.e. specific TCR in capacity^-0.21. Held as a model constant, not an input.
Market range No independent range is cited here.
0.79Mullen et al. (2023), after Sinnott and Towler, Chemical Engineering Design (2020).Keeps the power law from being extrapolated should the slider range ever be widened.
Market range Not applicable.
0.5Implementation guard.Upper twin of capex_scale_ratio_min.
Market range Not applicable.
2Implementation guard.Lower end of the Customized specific TCR: the cheapest IEAGHG configuration at the low end of its stated accuracy. Below it the input is flagged invalid.
Market range Not applicable (bound).
1895EUR/(Nm3/h)IEAGHG 2017-02 accuracy band.Upper end of the Customized specific TCR: the dearest IEAGHG configuration at the high end of its stated accuracy. Above it the input is flagged invalid.
Market range Not applicable (bound).
5380EUR/(Nm3/h)IEAGHG 2017-02 accuracy band.The specific TCR is the IEAGHG figure of the selected configuration times (capacity / 100,000 Nm3/h)^(0.79 - 1), so the total capital grows with capacity to the power 0.79; TPC follows the retained TCR through the IEAGHG TPC/TCR ratio, and maintenance, insurance and local taxes follow that TPC. Staff stays at 38 or 43 (IEAGHG p.11). Gas, power and CO2 per Nm3 do not change with size. A world-scale SMR of this range is a single train, so the plant is not numbered up: an exponent below 1 applies. The slider is limited to 85,000-150,000 Nm3/h: 300 MW HHV, the smaller of the BEIS sizes over which the law is applied to SMR, is about 84,600 Nm3/h at 141.88 MJ/kg HHV, and 150,000 Nm3/h is 1.5 times the IEAGHG anchor.
Market range No independent range is cited here for the exponent of a whole SMR plant.
—Power law with a sourced exponent on the IEAGHG 2017-02 anchor.REAL OR NOMINAL. All costs are constant 4Q-2014 EUR without escalation, and the discount rate is real; nothing is escalated. The DCF is replaced by an annuity on the TCR (which already contains interest during construction). The only effect not captured is the 70 % first year, which makes the model 1.6-2.6 % lower than IEAGHG's printed LCOH; the deviation is published as an output, not hidden.
Market range Not applicable (method statement).
—IEAGHG 2017-02No separate steam export credit. In the IEAGHG design the excess HP steam goes through a condensing turbine and leaves as power, which is credited at the electricity price. Adding a steam credit on top would count the same steam twice.
Market range Not applicable (method statement).
—IEAGHG 2017-02 Table 2 (export power); NETL DOE/NETL-2022/3241 Case 1 leaves excess steam unvalued.CO2 intensity is direct, plant-gate CO2 only. Upstream methane leakage, gas production and the grid credit of the exported power are not counted; a lifecycle intensity would be higher, by an amount that depends on the gas supply chain and is not quantified here.
Market range Not applicable (method statement).
—IEAGHG 2017-02 Table 2 (specific CO2 emissions at the plant).The part-load fuel penalty defaults to 0 %, which reproduces IEAGHG exactly. When raised, it increases gas use and CO2 generation in proportion to the hours lost below 100 % capacity factor (at 5 % and a 70 % capacity factor, +1.5 % gas). It is a user lever for turndown studies, not a grounded figure.
Market range Not applicable (method statement).
—No source used here prints SMR part-load efficiency.Interest during construction is already inside the TCR, so the construction schedule enters the model through the TCR and is not recomputed.
Market range 3 years for a world-scale SMR.
3yearsIEAGHG 2017-02INDEPENDENT CROSS-CHECK. NETL's SMR uses 3.53 kg gas/kg H2 (3.40 here) and emits about 9.4 kg CO2/kg (9.00 here), both derived here from NETL Exhibit ES-2 flows (gas 156,482 lb/h and 118 lb CO2/MMBtu on 1,031,068 kWt, for 44,369 lb/h of H2), not printed by NETL: within 4 %. Its 96.2 % capture case captures both syngas and flue gas and is cheaper per kg mainly because US gas is cheaper; only the ratio of its two LCOH is used here.
Market range NETL LCOH 1.06 USD/kg (no capture) and 1.64 USD/kg (96.2 % capture, T&S included).
—NETL DOE/NETL-2022/3241COMMON BASIS WITH THE ATR CALCULATOR. Shared: the natural gas inlet is exported in MWh on an HHV basis (converted with IEAGHG 2017-02's own gas HHV/LHV, 51.473 / 46.50 MJ/kg) and priced through the same input key ng_price_eur_per_mwh, so one project gas price applies to both on the same basis; the 8 % real discount rate and the 25-year life (IEAGHG 2017-02, also IEAGHG 2022-07). Not shared: the default prices. This calculator keeps the IEAGHG 2017-02 Table 1 defaults in 4Q-2014 EUR (gas 19.51 EUR/MWh HHV = 6 EUR/GJ LHV, power 80 EUR/MWh, T&S 10 EUR/t, carbon 0 EUR/t) and its 95 % capacity factor; the ATR calculator uses IEAGHG 2022-07 Netherlands 2020 prices in 2020 EUR. Set the same prices and capacity factor on both before comparing their LCOH; the 2014 vs 2020 money-year gap is not escalated.
Market range Not applicable (method statement).
—IEAGHG 2017-02 Table 1 (PDF p.12) and natural gas specification (PDF p.255); IEAGHG 2022-07 Modelling Parameters (PDF p.68) for the discount rate and the economic life only.No CEPCI or inflation index is applied. To compare with a 2024 quote, escalate the capital by an index of your choice outside the calculator.
Market range No escalation index is cited or applied here: re-base with a plant cost index before comparing with current-year costs.
2014yearIEAGHG 2017-02: all costs 4Q-2014 EUR.