Brussels, 26/05/2010 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has authorised the Netherlands to provide a grant of €10 million to Nuon Energy Sourcing NV for a CO2 capture demonstration project, which aims to optimise energy efficiency in this field. The project concerns the deployment of a CO2 capture demonstration facility at Nuon´s Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plant in Buggenum, in Limburg Province in the Netherlands. It aims at optimising the energy efficiency of CO2 capture (pre-combustion technology) for large-scale applications in the electricity sector. Nuon may also use this technology in its large scale Magnum IGCC power plant to be built in the Eemshaven. The project also involves academic partners and knowledge-based companies such as Delft University, ECN, KEMA and TNO. The development of carbon capture and storage (CCS), which includes the capture of CO2, is encouraged by the Commission as part of the 2008 climate and energy package for reaching the EU 2020 environmental objectives. The Commission considered that the state aid measure is necessary and appropriate for obtaining a common interest objective, and concluded that the aid envisaged complies with EU rules on state aid and that the positive effects of the measure outweigh the potential negative effects on competition. (F.G./transl.fl)