Page 45 - European Energy Innovation - Winter 2016 publication
P. 45
Winter 2016 European Energy Innovation 45
CARBON CAPTURE & STORAGE
December 2015 marked So, one year on and what impact has funds. For example, signatories to IMAGE ©: Statoil
a historic moment in the Paris Agreement had with regard the Strategic Energy Technology
tackling global climate to CCS? There are signs that climate Plan (SET Plan) have recently
change, when 192 change is being taken more seriously adopted ten new specific targets
countries came together and signed in the private sector; for example for Carbon Capture Utilisation and
the Paris Agreement, with the goal the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative Storage (CCUS). This is a positive
of limiting the global temperature (OGCI), a group of ten leading global development and helps to move CCS
increase to well below 2°C. If we oil and gas companies, announced discussions forward in Europe. CCS
thought achieving the 2°C limit would in November the establishment transport infrastructure projects are
be challenging, then achieving less of a $1billion investment fund to also eligible under the Connecting
than this will be an even greater support low-carbon technologies. A Europe Facility, a European fund set
battle. We will need all tools at our large proportion of this fund will be up to support Projects of Common
disposal whilst keeping costs down dedicated to CCS. Interest (PCI). The European
as much as possible. Carbon Capture Commission is currently designing
and Storage (CCS) will be a vital A number of countries are making the criteria against which CCS
part of the solution – the IPCC has good progress with operational transport projects will be judged.
estimated that the costs of meeting CCS projects. Norway is this year
global climate change targets without celebrating the 20-year anniversary of However, more is needed. The Global
CCS could increase by 138%. the Sleipner CCS project – the world’s CCS Institute recently published its
first CO2 storage project which has so 2016 Global Status of CCS report, in
The reason CCS is so important far stored just over 16 million tonnes which they found that by the end of
comes from its ability to reduce of CO2 since it began operating in 2017, 21 large-scale CCS projects
emissions from a number of sectors. 1996. are likely to be in operation around
Industrial sectors such as steel, the world. Together these projects
cement, chemicals and refining Norway is now expanding its CCS currently capture and store around
will be very dependent on CCS portfolio and recently announced 40 million tonnes of CO2 per year. To
to achieve significant emissions its intention to further develop meet even a 2°C goal by 2050, the
reductions. This is because these CCS projects in three very diverse GCCSI estimates that the world will
sectors produce carbon dioxide as industries; ammonia, cement and need to capture and store almost
part of the process (for example to waste management & energy 4000 million tonnes per year – so we
make steel in a blast furnace, you recovery. need to significantly pick up the pace
need to use coking coal and carbon with CCS.
dioxide is a by-product of this And only last week, the Netherlands
process). announced the Dutch Energy and Let’s not forget that CCS also
Climate Plan, which emphasises represents an important industry
So CCS will be crucial to ensuring the importance of CCS to meet with the potential to create and
a long-term, sustainable future for climate change targets – particularly retain thousands of jobs in the power
these industries. In the power sector, for industrial sectors. The plan also and industrial sectors, as well as
fossil fuel power with CCS will be vital highlights the ROAD CCS project; prolonging the life of oil and gas
as a flexible source of low-carbon a collaboration between Uniper fields and delaying decommissioning.
electricity that can complement other (previously E.ON) and ENGIE
options. As climate change targets (previously GDF Suez) which could In years to come, the Paris Agreement
begin to bite for other sectors (e.g. potentially represent the first step could mark the turning point in
aviation), the benefits of negative in developing a large-scale CCS our fight against climate change.
emissions technologies will become network, able to transport and store However, it is only the beginning
increasingly important. Bioenergy emissions from industrial and power and the real work to implement the
with CCS currently represents the sectors across Europe. actions begins now. We must ensure
best option for producing large-scale that policies are developed to deliver
negative emissions and a number of Turning to developments in technologies like CCS that have the
countries are developing projects in Brussels, CCS is increasingly being potential to drive a fundamental step-
this area. incorporated into new policies and change in reducing emissions. l
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