Brussels, 17/09/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 17 September, the European Commission launched the world's first network of carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration projects to foster knowledge sharing and raise public understanding of the role of CCS in cutting CO2 emissions. This will accelerate learning and ensure that the Commission can assist CCS to safely fulfil its potential and become a commercially viable technology. The first CCS projects will be supported by the chapter of the European recovery plan devoted to energy infrastructure (see EUROPE 10037). Project promoters will receive EU funding only on condition that they disseminate the project results as widely as possible. The goal is to create a prominent community of projects united in the goal of achieving commercially viable CCS by 2020. To guarantee that the work of the CCS Project Network is valuable to the wider energy community in Europe, an annual Advisory Forum, co-chaired by the European Commission and the European Technology Platform for Zero Emission Fossil Fuel Power Plants (ZEP), has been established to review progress. For further information, go to: http://www.ccsnetwork.eu (E.H./transl.rt)