Study points out uncertainties related to use of CO₂ capture and storage technologies in the energy sector

The deployment of CO₂ capture and storage (CCS) technologies in the fossil fuel industry “is probably too slow” in view of the European Union’s climate objective of reducing its net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, according to a study published on Monday 11 January by the NGO Friends of the Earth (FoE).

Carried out by the Tyndall Centre, a partnership of universities, the study points out that interest in these technologies in power generation has waned, partly due to faster progress in renewables and energy storage.

Currently, the 26 operational CCS plants worldwide (none in the EU) capture 39 million tonnes of CO₂ per year, a figure that represents only about 0.1% of annual global emissions from fossil fuels, the paper says.

The authors argue that while the long-term application of CCS in industrial processes retains an important role in climate scenarios, this is not necessarily the case in the fossil fuel sector.

Regarding the use of these technologies in the hydrogen supply chain, they consider that uncertainties related to the costs and technical feasibility of higher CO₂ capture rates (> 95%) and the application of capture along the hydrogen fuel supply chain make it necessary to “plan for energy supply chains without CO₂ capture and storage” in policy scenarios to achieve climate objectives.

See the study: https://bit.ly/2Lib3qc (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)