The first major international initiative to galvanise technology that traps carbon emissions before they reach the atmosphere will be unveiled this week by some of the world’s largest polluters. The annual Clean Energy Ministerial will play host to the new global co-operation plan to develop carbon capture and storage (CCS) to clean up the emissions from power plants and factories. The US, Saudi Arabia and Norway are preparing to lead the work to develop CCS, and their efforts will be supported by the UK, China, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico and the European Commission. It is the first time that governments will come together to work towards affordable CCS projects, which the technology’s proponents believe could be a major breakthrough in “decarbonising” power and industry in a bid to tackle climate change. The Clean Energy Ministerial has brought together ministers from 24 of the world’s largest economies for the past eight years to develop a cleaner energy future. Its past endeavours have included accelerating the drive towards electric vehicles, which has seen a boom in government support and policy commitments as a result. For the three lead nations CCS is vital in order to play a role in tackling climate change without undermining important economic drivers. To date CCS projects remain eye wateringly expensive. But by taking a diplomatic approach the participating countries hope to set up strategic partnerships to accelerate investment and create a competitive global industry. The major co-operation deal is expected to emerge on Thursday, a little over a week after Norway fired the starting gun on its ambitions to become Europe’s leader in developing CCS technology and permanent storage facilities under the North Sea.
Telegraph 20th May 2018 read more »
Drax Group will lead a £400,000 trial to capture and store carbon at its north Yorkshire power station in an attempt to kickstart a technology that has repeatedly failed to get off the ground in the UK. The company was part of earlier efforts to build a £1bn prototype carbon capture coal plant, but pulled out in 2015 after it missed out on renewable energy subsidies. Now the firm will try again with a pioneering form of the technology, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), to cut emissions from one of its four biomass-burning units. Experts believe the project is a world first. In theory, BECCS can reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, as the trees for the power station absorb carbon dioxide as they grow, while the carbon dioxide released from generating electricity does not enter the atmosphere. Most of the UN climate science panel’s scenarios for stopping dangerous global warming assume the use of such “negative emissions” technology, though critics have said it would not work at scale. Drax has partnered with University of Leeds spin-off C-Capture for the project, which starts this month. The carbon will be stored in a compressed form on the site, which the firm hopes to sell to an as-yet-unidentified partner for industrial processes. Energy minister Claire Perry said the pilot was “hugely exciting”, while the Carbon Capture & Storage Association called it an “important step”.
Guardian 21st May 2018 read more »
Business Green 21st May 2018 read more »