Page 19 - European Energy Innovation - spring 2019 publication
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Spring 2019 European Energy Innovation          19

                                 CARBON CAPTURE & STORAGE

Carbon capture and storage
to fight climate change

By Paula Abreu Marques (pictured), Head of Unit, Renewables and CCS policy, European
Commission, DG ENER
                                 Just before COP24 in Poland
                                             last year, the European
                                             Commission published its
                                             strategic long-term vision for
                                 a prosperous, modern, competitive

                                 and climate neutral European

                                 economy entitled “A Clean Planet for

                                 All”. Having put in place a regulatory

                                 framework to meet the climate

                                 and energy objectives for 2030, the

                                 Commission looks towards 2050

                                 and analyses different pathways to

                                 meet the target of a net-zero carbon

                                 economy as a contribution to the

                                 international effort to limit global

                                 warming to well below 2°C.

                                 The modelling and analysis which
                                 underlie the “Clean Planet for
                                 All” communication show that
                                 carbon capture and storage (CCS)
                                 technologies will need to play a
                                 key role in achieving the climate
                                 objective. Despite current and past
                                 uncertainties in the economics and
                                 the public acceptance of CO2 storage,
                                 CCS is amongst the main options
                                 for reducing emissions of large point
                                 sources, particularly for big industrial
                                 sites for which no alternative
                                 mitigation measures exist, such as
                                 cement-making. If coupled with
                                 sustainable biomass, CCS can play
                                 a significant role in creating negative
                                 emissions. In the long term, carbon
                                 capture can contribute to sector
                                 coupling, for instance when captured
                                 CO2 is transformed into synthetic
                                 fuels with renewable energy.

                                 Given the imperative to reduce
                                 greenhouse gas emissions at a faster
                                 pace and to develop all technologies
                                 that can contribute to this effort,
                                 the European Union was ready over
                                 the last ten years to support CCS

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