Abby L. Harvey
GHG Monitor
1/30/2015
The European Union is lagging behind when it comes to the deployment of carbon capture and storage, according to a new report commissioned by the European Commission to assess the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Directive published this week. However, the report suggests several measures, including the adoption of binding CCS targets that could get the EU back on track. “It is clear from the literature review and the survey that in terms of operational CCS plants Europe is being overtaken by the rest of the world, particularly North America,” the report says. One action which should be taken, the report says, is the development of “an EU roadmap for CCS with binding targets for 2030 and [the integration of] CCS in the ongoing 2030 national roadmaps if needed.” Such a measure would send “a clear signal of intent to members of the UNFCCC process that the EU’s CO2 ambitions will be realized,” the report says.
According to the report, which is based in large part on stakeholder interviews and literature review, binding targets included in EU-wide and perhaps national roadmaps would send a clear message about the need for CCS in the future of the EU. This could spur investment in the technology and in turn, technological advances. “Without these clear signals that CCS is indeed going to play a serious role in carbon mitigation within the EU it is not likely that industry will invest in CCS. Many respondents expressed the opinion that an EU wide roadmap should include targets for CCS deployment for both the power and industrial sectors for 2030 and 2050. This roadmap would form a basis upon which to design incentives, regulation and policy to achieve a clear goal,” the report says.
Many respondents stated that CCS also needs to have clear support in the EU 2030 Framework for Climate and Energy, according to the report. “Stakeholders referred to the 2030 framework as a major opportunity to give more clarity on the position of CCS in Europe. Under the EU 2030 framework national plans for competitive, secure and sustainable energy up to 2030 are foreseen with specific targets for greenhouse gas emissions, renewables and energy efficiency. Many commented on the on-going 2030 climate and energy package and judged that the attention and mandate for CCS was felt to be weaker than for renewable energy. This could be altered if the EC were to publish an EU CCS strategy paper, which helps strengthen the mandate for CCS and improves the clarity of its inclusion in the 2030 framework,” the report says.
Included in the report are several responses by stakeholders concerning how the EU should best handle CCS. Alstom, a manufacturing company which develops CCS technologies, wrote to the authors that the EU should “set a CCS target in the 2030 package like EU did for renewables in 2020 package. This would help to create a more level playing field. Target should be at least 222Mt in 2030 (in line with 4 [percent] GHG reduction and should be divided between power (3/4) and industry (1/4).”
