Carbon capture critical to Europe’s economic future
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, Oct. 27, 2017 — Climate change leaders meeting in Rotterdam have heard that carbon capture and storage (CCS) is instrumental in decarbonising European industry and creating a new energy economy across the continent.
Speaking at the Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) CCS Forum at the Port of Rotterdam, Global CCS Institute CEO, Brad Page, said CCS is the solution to a raft of climate, economic and social problems.
“We are now at a critical juncture. CCS can no longer be a peripheral player in the climate change debate. To reach Paris climate change targets, and create sustainable economic and social economies, CCS must be part of a mainstream, multi-lateral mix of ‘must-have’ clean technologies.”
Mr Page, who leads the world authority on carbon capture, says CCS is tailor-made for Europe where myriad industrial hubs and clusters exist.
“It is the only technology capable of decarbonising major industrial sectors such as steel, cement, fertilisers, refining and petrochemicals and it is the conduit to a new energy economy of clean and sustainable energy across all forms including hydrogen, bioenergy and the raft of CO2 reuse applications.”
Speaking to more than 100 attendees representing industry, government, academia and NGOs, Energy Future Initiative CEO, Dr Julio Friedmann, said CCS must be deployed swiftly and at scale if the world had any chance to make rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
“One key application is in heavy industry which produces 21 per cent of global emissions. Another is on the new, highly efficient coal plants built in Asia and Europe which will have long lives and eat up the carbon budget quickly, as well as natural gas plants which are becoming the mainstays of the power sector.
Dr Friedmann said the technology is proven, its commercial case is cogent and the climate science is unequivocal.
“We simply cannot reach a 2-degree world, let alone anything less, without it. The question is, are we really smart enough to do what we know needs to be done.”
Also speaking at the Forum, Port of Rotterdam CEO, Allard Castelein, said calculations by the IPCC, IEA, and a recent Wuppertal Institute study commissioned by the Port, supports the fact that CCS will play an indispensable role in our climate change future.
“CCS is certainly necessary for Rotterdam. Our local industry is responsible for close to 20% of total CO2 emissions of the Netherlands. A large share of these industrial activities concern products that – at least for the time being – lack viable zero-emission alternatives. CCS and CCU form the most effective methods for swiftly scaling back CO2 emissions.”
There are currently 17 large-scale CCS facilities in operation around the world, with four coming on stream within the next 12-18 months.
About the Global CCS Institute:
The Global CCS Institute is an international membership organisation. Our mission is to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS), a vital technology to tackle climate change and provide energy security.
Working with and on behalf of our Members, we drive the adoption of CCS as quickly and cost effectively as possible by sharing expertise, building capacity and providing advice and support so that this this vital technology can play its part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Our diverse international membership consists of governments, global corporations, small companies, research bodies and nongovernment organisations, committed to CCS as an integral part of a low-carbon future. We are headquartered in Melbourne, Australia with regional offices in Washington DC, Brussels, Beijing and Tokyo. For more information, visit www.globalccsinstitute.com
Source: Global CCS Institute
