CCS Retrofit Cost Calculator
Retrofitting carbon capture onto an existing power plant is often a lower-total-cost path to reducing emissions than replacing the plant entirely, since the turbines, generators, transmission interconnection, and site infrastructure are already in place and paid for. This calculator takes the plant capacity in MW and a retrofit cost per kW, then reports the total retrofit capital cost. It pairs naturally with our CO2 Capture Cost Calculator for the ongoing per-ton capture cost the retrofit incurs, and our 45Q Tax Credit Calculator for the per-ton federal credit that can offset a meaningful share of this capital commitment.
The nameplate generating capacity of the existing power plant being retrofitted with carbon capture equipment.
Retrofitting post-combustion capture equipment onto an existing power plant commonly costs $1,000-2,000/kW, based on DOE/NETL techno-economic studies -- generally cheaper than building an equivalent new plant with capture designed in from the start, but still a substantial capital commitment.
plant capacity (MW) × 1,000 × retrofit cost ($/kW)
Results update live as you type. For planning and field-check estimates — always verify against applicable standards and equipment ratings.
How we calculate this →Retrofitting an existing 500 MW power plant with carbon capture equipment costs roughly $750 million in this example -- a major capital commitment, but one that can extend the useful life of an existing asset and preserve its dispatchable generation capacity rather than requiring an entirely new plant. Retrofits also face a real engineering constraint new-build projects don't: available space at the existing site for the capture equipment, along with the parasitic load capture systems impose on the plant's own electrical output, both of which vary significantly by site and are worth confirming early in a retrofit feasibility study.
How the CCS retrofit capital cost is calculated
This calculator estimates the total capital cost of retrofitting post-combustion carbon capture equipment onto an existing power plant by multiplying the plant capacity in MW by 1,000 (to convert MW to kW) and by the retrofit cost per kW. One quantity ties the calculation together.
Total Retrofit Capital Cost ($) = Plant Capacity (MW) × 1,000 × Retrofit Cost ($/kW). The retrofit cost per kW captures the all-in capital cost of adding capture equipment -- absorbers, solvent regeneration, compression, balance of plant, and installation -- expressed per kW of the existing plant's nameplate capacity. At the defaults (500 MW and $1,500/kW), that is 500 × 1,000 × $1,500 = $750,000,000.
Two notes on the model. First, the $/kW figure is a planning-level estimate drawn from DOE/NETL techno-economic studies, where post-combustion retrofits commonly land in the $1,000-2,000/kW range; actual costs vary meaningfully with plant size and configuration, flue gas CO2 concentration, available site space, distance to transport infrastructure, and the specific capture technology chosen, so a site-specific engineering study is essential before relying on these figures. Second, this calculator covers capital cost only and does not model the parasitic load capture systems impose on the plant's net electrical output (the energy consumed by solvent regeneration and compression reduces sellable generation), ongoing operating costs, or the 45Q tax credit value that can offset a share of this capital commitment -- for the per-ton capture cost the retrofitted plant will incur, see the CO2 Capture Cost Calculator, and for the federal credit that can offset it, see the 45Q Tax Credit Calculator. Data sources: retrofit cost ranges from U.S. DOE/NETL post-combustion CCS techno-economic studies. Verification: with defaults (500 MW, $1,500/kW), Total Retrofit Capital Cost = $750,000,000.