Brussels, 27/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - Ahead of a 2030 framework for energy and climate, the European Commission is sounding out stakeholders on the possible options for accelerating the development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology in Europe.
In addition to its Green Paper on a 2030 framework for climate and energy policies (see other article), the Commission adopted a consultative communication on CCS on 27 March. CCS is a set of technologies that captures the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced from fossil fuels and emitted from industrial plants, transports it to a suitable storage site and stores it in underground geological formations with the aim of removing it from the atmosphere for good. Against the backdrop of increasing demand for energy, which is likely to bet met in large part by fossil fuels, widespread introduction of CCS is likely to be one of the necessary mitigation options, alongside renewable energies, other low carbon technology and efforts for energy efficiency and energy saving, the European Commission states.
The role of CCS in cost efficient climate mitigation has been confirmed by the 2050 energy roadmap and by the roadmap for moving to a low carbon economy by 2050. Both roadmaps were published by the Commission in 2011.
The communication of 27 March summarises the state of play of CCS development and identifies the barriers that have prevented this technology from progressing in Europe at the pace initially envisaged in 2007. Currently, more than 20 small-scale demonstration CCS projects are operating in the world with successful results - two of these projects are in Norway, but none are in the EU.
Several factors are responsible for the difficulty in implementing the demonstration projects in the EU, but the main factors are the lack of a long-term business case and the cost of the CCS technology. Given the current very low price of carbon and the absence of any other legal constraint or incentive, economic operators have no reason to invest in CCS. Some projects envisaging onshore storage have aroused strong public opposition. While sufficient storage capacity exists in Europe, it is not located close to CO2 emitters or accessible. Some member states have decided to ban or restrict CO2 storage within their borders. In addition, an adequate transport infrastructure is necessary to efficiently connect CO2 sources to sinks.
The communication examines some of the possible solutions to encourage the timely demonstration and early deployment of CCS in the EU, and to strengthen the long-term business case for this technology. Stakeholders are asked to give their opinions by July on the best policy framework to ensure the demonstration and immediate deployment of CCS technology, as long as it is proven commercially and technically viable. (EH/transl.fl)