We need carbon capture says Liverpool MEP (Garston and Halewood Liberal Democrats)

We need carbon capture says Liverpool MEP

May 13, 2008 12:00 AM

Chris Davies MEP for the North West of England A North West Euro-MP is overseeing new legislation that could be the 'missing link' in the fight against climate change.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) involves removing carbon dioxide from coal burnt in power stations. The inert gas is then moved by pipeline for permanent storage in rocks miles beneath the Earth's surface.

Almost all strategies for stabilising the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere require CCS to supplement other measures. The only other option would be a very high concentration of nuclear power.

Plans to accelerate the use of this technology to curb CO2 emissions from coal and gas-fired power stations are to be put to EU ministers later this year.

New funding measures and the mandatory use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) techniques are being proposed by Chris Davies who is responsible for steering the draft law through the European Parliament.

The Liberal Democrat Euro-MP warns that unless coal-fired power stations are forced to adopt CCS to prevent carbon emissions escaping to the atmosphere all the benefits of developing wind power and other forms of renewable energy will be completely wiped out.

"Coal is responsible for 24% of Europe's CO2 emissions and 50 new power plants are due to be built within the next five years," he warned. "Each one these will increase the problem of global warming, wiping out the gains made from 2,000 or so wind turbines.

"The development of CCS must be brought forward and there is no time to be lost. The world's demand for electricity requires the use of coal but to allow the construction of hundreds more dirty power plants makes a nonsense of all other strategies to reduce emissions."

The European Parliament has appointed Mr Davies as its lead negotiator (rapporteur) for the draft directive on the geological storage of carbon.

He wants legislation to prohibit from 2015 the authorisation of any new fossil fuel power plant not equipped to capture and store 90% of its CO2 emissions. All existing plants should be retrofitted with CCS technology by 2025.

He says the priority must be construction of the 12 large scale demonstration projects promised by Europe's Prime Ministers but not yet identified, and he wants the incoming French Presidency of the EU to take a lead in resolving how the objective will be realised."

"The demonstration projects are essential to develop the range of technologies available and secure cost reductions. Potential developers are waiting on governments to take a lead," he said.

The European Commission estimates that by 2030 the cost of operating CCS-equipped coal-fired power plants will be only 10% more than at present, taking into account allowances for the removal of CO2 available through the emissions trading scheme.

But initial costs of introducing the technology and building the pipeline infrastructure to transport the gas to suitable injection sites could more than double construction costs.

To support the first movers Chris Davies says that a temporary mechanism needs to be introduced to the EU's emissions trading system to allow the first CCS developers to be able to claim tradable credits for every tonne of carbon they store.

He said: "At present the power companies are hanging back hoping that the costs of CCS will come down. By introducing a short term 'double credit' incentive I want to get them racing forward and competing to build CCS plants. The early movers should be able to gain rewards for a limited period.

"CCS isn't a magic bullet, but by curbing the release of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere it can help the world buy the time it needs to develop zero carbon technology for the long term."

The proposed Kingsnorth coal-fired power station will emit 8 million tonnes of CO2 per year. The Fiddler's Ferry power station near Warrington produces 1995 MW of power each year with estimated emissions of 12 million tames of CO2.

This compares to the current total of 5.5 million tonnes of CO2 avoided by the UK's current total of wind-generated electricity.

It has been estimated that CCS could deliver up to one quarter of the emissions reductions needed to stabilise climate change by 2050.

Garston and Halewood Liberal Democrats