Despite widespread support, a ban on construction of new coal fired power plants before carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology proves commercially viable did not make the list of recommendations to come out of the weekend’s 2020 summit. However many industry, union and environmental groups are pushing for extensive research and trialling of this technology as an option to mitigate Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions in the future.

CCS involves separation of carbon dioxide (CO₂) during industrial processes such as the combustion of fossil fuels and transportation and injection of it into deep geological storage reservoirs. Storage sites include, depleted oil and gas reservoirs, deep unused saline water-saturated rocks, unmineable coal seams and oil shale and porous rocks.

Opponents of CCS believe that it is costly, wasteful, and environmentally risky, and could not be properly utilised before 2030. The CCS process is quite energy intensive, contributing to an increase of 100% in generating costs for power plants, making it comparable to global wind power generation costs. Other risks associated with its deployment are stress on the marine environment through acidification of oceans, acidification of drinking water and the potential for CO₂ leakage into the atmosphere.

According to the IPCC, with appropriately selected and managed geological reservoirs it is very likely that more than 99% of captured CO₂ will remain stored for over 1000 years. CCS as part of a suite of other options for low and zero emissions energy production has widespread backing as an option to mitigate global greenhouse gas emissions. The Australian Coal Association (ACA), CFMEU, The Climate Institute (CI) and WWF recently called on the federal Government to set up a National Carbon Capture and Storage Taskforce to oversee rapid development of 10,000 GWh of CCS electricity by 2020.

References

• IPCC, CCS, 'Summary for Policymakers,' 2005
• http://www.climateinstitute.org.au/
• 'Climate Solutions: WWF’s Vision for 2050,' 2007
• 'Green group defends clean coal push,' The Age, April 15 2008
• 'Decision to ban coal plants "too hard",' The Age April 20 2008