Clean coal development - conditions and consultation
June 22, 2009
Two reports on the development of clean coal technology have now been published. Alongside the Government's consultation document, "A Framework for the Development of Clean Coal", AEA Group has published a report entitled "Future Value of Coal Carbon Abatement Technologies to UK Industry".
The Department of Energy and Climate Change's (DECC's) consultation document sets out the way in which the Government proposes to balance the need to reduce carbon emissions with the need to secure and maintain a diverse energy portfolio. Briefly, its proposals include the following.
- Demonstration of carbon capture and storage (CCS) - consent for new coal-fired power stations would only be given on the condition that they demonstrate CCS on at least 300MW net (around 400MW gross) of capacity from day one.
- Retrofitting of CCS - all new coal-fired power stations would have to retrofit CCS to their full capacity within five years of CCS being proven. Consideration is also being given as to whether this requirement should apply to existing coal-fired power stations.
- Contingency plans - if it takes longer than expected to prove the effectiveness of CCS, additional measures may be needed to reduce emissions from coal. They could include an annual cap on individual power stations' emissions, a limit on running time or the application of emissions performance standards.
The independent research report estimates that clean coal technology could contribute as much as £2–4 billion per year to the UK economy by 2030. It also suggests that the application of this technology could lead to the creation of 30,000–60,000 jobs in engineering, manufacturing and procurement.
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