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Carbon capture · Excel model · Release 1.17

CCUS Capture Cost Model

Screen industrial capture projects and the carbon payment each would require.

For asset owners, developers and investors prioritizing capture opportunities before site-specific engineering. Compare sources and energy arrangements, then identify which projects warrant closer assessment.

See inside the workbookWhat is included
Large process ductwork at a cement carbon-capture installation.

Inside the workbook

See how the workbook is built.

Start with the model map, then browse the dashboard, inputs, calculations and scenario comparisons.

Explore the modelExcel · v1.17

Carbon capture & storage model map

Input libraries

  • Project & location
  • Source & capture technology
  • Energy, transport & storage
  • Carbon value & support
  • Scenarios & comparisons

Scenario selection

  • One active project

Calculation modules

  • Check the configuration
  • Calculate capture & avoided emissions
  • Build costs & payment streams
  • Calculate cost & required payment
  • Compare sources & test returns

Results

  • Active-case dashboard
  • Scenario comparison
  • Summary & key metrics

CCUS · Workbook v1.17

Carbon capture & storage model map

Connect the industrial source, capture system and storage boundary to cost and required payment.

Input libraries

Project & locationTiming, financing and regional assumptions.Inputs_GLOBALInputs_RegionsWorksheet detail

Inputs_GLOBAL

Shared calendar, timing, financing, tax and other model-wide constants.

Inputs_Regions

Regional prices, grid intensity, tax and cost-of-capital or capital-cost adjustments.

Source & capture technologyHost emissions, gas concentration, process scale and capture performance.Inputs_SectorsInputs_TechsWorksheet detail

Inputs_Sectors

Host-industry and flue-gas properties: emissions, concentration, scale and host integration assumptions.

Inputs_Techs

Capture technology performance, energy demand, cost scaling and demonstrated operating limits.

Energy, transport & storageHeat and power supply; conditioning, transport and storage terms.Inputs_EnergyInputs_TSWorksheet detail

Inputs_Energy

Steam-source choices, compression duty, energy assumptions and retrofit factors.

Inputs_TS

Transport and storage nodes with reservation, throughput and storage assumptions.

Carbon value & supportPaid-tonne basis, carbon-market terms and producer incentives.Inputs_RegimesWorksheet detail

Inputs_Regimes

Carbon-market and incentive terms: applicable jurisdiction, paid-tonne basis, rates, timing and tax treatment.

Scenarios & comparisonsPrepared cases, custom choices and external benchmarks.Inputs_CodesInputs_ScenariosInputs_BenchmarksWorksheet detail

Inputs_Codes

Selector vocabularies, validation lists and tornado driver shifts.

Inputs_Scenarios

Prepared scenario definitions and the editable CUSTOM scenario.

Inputs_Benchmarks

Published capture-cost ranges with their boundary and denominator basis.

Scenario selection

Set on the Dashboard

One active projectResolve the selected preset or custom choices into an active parameter set.Inputs_ActiveWorksheet detail

The Dashboard selects the project. Inputs_Active resolves its library values and custom assumptions. This block summarizes scenario control; individual formulas also read other worksheets.

Inputs_Active

Resolve the selected preset or CUSTOM controls into one active parameter set.

Reads from: Inputs_Codes, Inputs_Regimes, Inputs_Sectors, Inputs_Regions, Inputs_Techs, Inputs_TS, Inputs_Energy, Dashboard, Inputs_Scenarios, Inputs_GLOBAL

Shared libraries also feed calculations directly.

Calculation modules

Check the configurationCompatibility, eligibility conditions and model warnings.CALC_EligibilityWorksheet detail

CALC_Eligibility

Check structural, jurisdiction, technology, steam-source and timing validity; report warnings separately from hard gates.

Reads from: Inputs_GLOBAL, Inputs_Active

Calculate capture & avoided emissionsCaptured CO₂, heat and power demand, then net emissions avoided.CALC_MassEnergyCALC_AvoidedWorksheet detail

CALC_MassEnergy

Calculate host emissions in scope, captured CO2, utilization, heat, power and compression/liquefaction requirements.

Reads from: Inputs_GLOBAL, Inputs_Active, CALC_Eligibility

CALC_Avoided

Convert captured CO2 into avoided emissions after induced energy emissions and the selected counterfactual basis.

Reads from: CALC_MassEnergy, Inputs_GLOBAL, Inputs_Active

Build costs & payment streamsCapture cost, external transport/storage and regime-specific value.CALC_TollCALC_CostsCALC_RegimesWorksheet detail

CALC_Toll

Calculate external transport/storage reservation and throughput costs.

Reads from: CALC_MassEnergy, Inputs_GLOBAL, Inputs_Active

CALC_Costs

Assemble capital investment, construction draws, operating costs and replacement costs.

Reads from: CALC_MassEnergy, Inputs_GLOBAL, Inputs_Active

CALC_Regimes

Resolve paid tonnes, carbon-market value, statutory or conditional support, grants and CO2-sales streams.

Reads from: Inputs_GLOBAL, CALC_Avoided, CALC_MassEnergy, Inputs_Active, CALC_Eligibility, CALC_Costs

Calculate cost & required paymentFinancing and unit costs on explicitly defined tonne bases.CALC_FinanceCALC_CCCWorksheet detail

CALC_Finance

Construction funding, debt, depreciation and tax; build the revenue-free equity basis and support-free required-price basis for award terms.

Reads from: CALC_Regimes, CALC_Costs, Inputs_Active, Inputs_GLOBAL, CALC_Toll, CALC_MassEnergy, CALC_Eligibility

CALC_CCC

Calculate captured/avoided costs, optional toll boundary, cost after support and levered required carbon price per paid tonne.

Reads from: CALC_Costs, CALC_Finance, CALC_Regimes, CALC_MassEnergy, Inputs_GLOBAL, CALC_Toll, CALC_Avoided, Inputs_Active

Compare sources & test returnsIndustry cost comparisons, debt coverage and investor returns.CALC_LadderCALC_BankabilityCALC_ReturnsWorksheet detail

CALC_Ladder

Recompute the cost identity across eight host sectors plus the selected case for the live sector comparison.

Reads from: Inputs_Sectors, Inputs_Techs, Inputs_Active, Inputs_Energy, Inputs_GLOBAL, CALC_Costs, CALC_CCC, CALC_Toll

CALC_Bankability

Test coverage and debt capacity at the chosen revenue basis, including lender stresses and sculpting.

Reads from: CALC_Finance, CALC_Costs, CALC_Regimes, Inputs_GLOBAL, CALC_CCC, CALC_Toll, Inputs_Active, CALC_Eligibility

CALC_Returns

Calculate investor cash flows, equity return, NPV and other return measures on the selected financing structure.

Reads from: CALC_Finance, CALC_Bankability, CALC_Costs, Inputs_GLOBAL, CALC_Regimes, CALC_Toll, CALC_CCC

Results

Active-case dashboardRead operating results, unit economics, sensitivities and financing.DashboardWorksheet detail

Dashboard

Choose the active case; read headline metrics, operating and financial charts, and the scenario/tornado data tables.

Reads from: CALC_Bankability, CALC_Returns, CALC_Avoided, CALC_Ladder, CALC_Regimes, CALC_CCC, CALC_Costs, CALC_Toll, CALC_Finance, Inputs_Benchmarks, Inputs_Energy, Inputs_GLOBAL, Inputs_TS, Inputs_Regimes, Inputs_Active, Inputs_Codes, CALC_Eligibility, CALC_MassEnergy, Inputs_Techs

Dashboard contains both scenario controls and result displays. Assess circularity at the individual formula level when worksheets reference each other.

Scenario comparisonCompare complete designs and their principal trade-offs.Dashboard_ScenariosWorksheet detail

Preset scenario comparisons refresh on F9. The YOUR case follows the Dashboard controls immediately. The industrial-source comparison also reads the live CALC_Ladder calculations.

Dashboard_Scenarios

Compare prepared cases, benchmarks and market/return outcomes using native charts and scenario data feeds.

Reads from: Dashboard, CALC_Ladder

Summary & key metricsUse a compact record of the selected project and its results.SummaryWorksheet detail

Summary

Printable restatement of the selected case and its headline cost, return and coverage results.

Reads from: CALC_CCC, Inputs_Active, CALC_Bankability, Inputs_GLOBAL, CALC_Eligibility, CALC_Costs, CALC_Returns

Guidance & source evidenceCoverModel_MapInstructionsSources_AuditAppendix_Regimes_GlossaryAppendix_Driver_DefinitionsView worksheet detail

Cover

Purpose, scope, version, conventions and terms of use.

Model_Map

Flow diagram and sheet-by-sheet explanation.

Instructions

Operating workflow, cockpit controls, editable assumptions and interpretation guidance.

Sources_Audit

Material input provenance, basis, evidence grade and source references.

Appendix_Regimes_Glossary

Narrative explanation of carbon-market and support regimes.

Appendix_Driver_Definitions

What each tornado driver changes, the declared shifts and applicability.

Reads from: Dashboard, CALC_Costs, CALC_MassEnergy, CALC_Toll, CALC_Finance, CALC_Regimes

Captured, avoided and paid tonnes differ.

Read each result with its stated denominator. Lender approval requires a separate assessment of the project and financing terms.

Arrows show the main flow between groups. Expand a block for worksheet detail.

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Your analysis in Excel

What would you test?

Which industrial sources deserve attention?

Change the source, capture technology, scale and retrofit assumptions. Compare the resulting energy use and capture costs.

How much emissions reduction does capture deliver?

Distinguish captured tonnes from avoided emissions after the additional energy needed for capture. Assess transport and storage through explicit external tolls.

What carbon payment supports the investment?

Compare the required total payment with the assumed payment path. Test capital, energy and storage terms before advancing the investor-return case.

The package

A workbook you can use and inspect.

Editable inputs, visible formulas and guidance for building your own case. Checked in Windows Microsoft 365 desktop Excel.

What is included

  • Issued Excel workbook with editable inputs and visible formulas
  • Dashboard for the active case and a separate scenario-comparison dashboard
  • Executive note, technical guide and quick-start guide (PDF)
  • In-workbook sources, instructions and model map
  • License addendum, package readme and SHA-256 manifest
Boundary
Host-stack tie-in to CO2 export flange
Time resolution
Annual
Scenario coverage
16 prepared projects plus CUSTOM
Libraries
7 markets; sector and capture-technology choices
Cost basis
Real 2026 USD per tonne captured or avoided
Format
Excel .xlsx; no VBA or external workbook links
How the analysis works

Resolve the source and capture design

The active case combines sector, region, capture technology, energy supply, capture rate, scale and retrofit assumptions. Auto technology selections are explicit case assumptions to inspect.

Calculate capture and avoided emissions

A mass-and-energy calculation connects captured tonnes with the energy required by capture. Avoided tonnes deduct the modeled additional emissions from captured volume; use that denominator consistently for avoided-cost comparisons.

Keep transport and storage outside the asset

The model’s physical boundary ends at compressed, dehydrated CO2 at the export flange. Transport and storage enter as an external toll. Pipeline and storage-reservoir design and financing are outside the modeled asset.

Test carbon value and support

Annual cost and support calculations produce capture-cost measures, a required carbon-price screen and coverage indicators. Compare the selected carbon-price path with the modeled requirement to identify the conditions needed for the investment case.

Know the boundaries.
  • The model uses annual balances. Hourly dispatch and dynamic process simulation are outside its scope.
  • Transport and storage enter as external toll assumptions. Their engineering and financing require separate assessment.
  • Source composition, available steam, integration requirements, permitting and site retrofit conditions require project-specific engineering.
  • Designed for screening and decision support. Financial-close analysis, project valuation and detailed engineering require project-specific work.
  • The price solve uses linear sponsor tax with immediate loss use. The separate lender view carries tax losses forward without an 80% limitation. No working capital, decommissioning or salvage is modeled.
  • Prices and costs use the documented real-2026 basis. Check support eligibility, tax treatment and carbon accounting for the project and date; conditional awards remain subject to award.
  • Required price and coverage indicators are calculated thresholds. Financing availability and customer willingness to pay require separate commercial evidence.
  • Three chart-label collisions are declared for specific European scenarios: D7 for Dutch SMR, Dx1 for European cases and D6 for EU cement HPC. The underlying values remain available in the worksheet.
Set up your first scenario
  1. 01

    Open a working copy in Windows Microsoft 365 desktop Excel. Read Cover, Instructions and Model_Map before changing assumptions.

  2. 02

    Start with a prepared scenario on Dashboard. Record the selected case, financing and offtake basis before comparing results.

  3. 03

    Select CUSTOM to activate the relevant custom selectors. Change one assumption at a time and use the driver definitions to interpret sensitivities.

  4. 04

    Follow the workbook refresh instructions, including F9 for scenario data tables. Save the selected inputs and release version alongside exported results.

  5. 05

    Dense coverage-chart labels can crowd in extreme custom high-price scenarios; inspect the underlying values when needed.

Which Excel environment is supported?

Validation covers Windows Microsoft 365 desktop Excel. Scenario comparisons use Excel data tables; follow the workbook refresh instructions, including F9 where indicated. Excel for the web, Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Mac Excel require separate validation before use.

Can I adapt the model?

Yes. Work from a copy, use the documented inputs and CUSTOM scenario, and preserve the original release. Formula or structural changes become your modified version and require your own checks. CovalentIQ can scope project-specific adaptation separately.

Model access

License and model access

Use the workbook within your team. If your question needs different assumptions, additional evidence or a tailored analysis, we can scope that separately.

One-time organization license

Perpetual use of the licensed version. Includes any updates released within 12 months. An optional introductory call is available by arrangement.

License and update terms
Direct purchase: Coming soon
Discuss model access

One-time organization license.

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