Abby L. Harvey
GHG Monitor
1/30/2015
Due in part to a large potential for carbon storage in the North Sea, surrounding countries are physically ideal to lead the European Union in deployment of the technology, however, early progress has slowed due to economic decline and complex policy issues, according to a new report released this week by Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage, an independent academic and applied research partnership of British Geological Survey, Heriot-Watt University, University of Aberdeen, the University of Edinburgh and the University of Strathclyde. However, SCCS proposes that if a few politically ambitious steps are taken, North Sea countries could once again become leaders in the deployment of CCS. “CCS has the potential to deliver low-carbon energy for Europe while fostering energy security and European industry’s market competitiveness,” the report says. “Indeed, a failure to incorporate CCS as part of the transition to a low-carbon economy will result in a doubling of costs. CCS is an essential part of an integrated energy system, alongside renewable energies, and even has the potential for negative emissions when combined with energy from biomass. To realise this ambition, CCS requires coherent and supportive policies at the European level, which promote its deployment within individual Member States.”
To put Europe back on track for wide-scale CCS deployment, the report, which was developed from perspectives gathered at an October SCCS conference, suggests a 10-point plan:
- Rapidly deliver a renewed New Entrants Reserve financing instrument (NER400) of the EU’s Emissions Trading System to support new industrial and power generation CCS projects
- Support the creation of CO2 transport and storage infrastructure through the EU’s Projects of Common Interest, including pipeline construction and CO2 shipping
- Create capture-to-storage CCS cluster plans for Europe’s industrial regions
- Provide specific funding, through the EU or Member States, to construct regional carbon capture clusters
- Reward CO2 transport and storage with clear pricing mechanisms
- Undertake analyses to identify tariff incentive mechanisms for CCS
- Develop a CO2-Enhanced Oil Recovery plan for the North Sea
- Encourage the research community to take lead on defining future research and development (R&D) needs for cost reduction with strategic industry input
- Ensure R&D priorities are informed by industry needs, with feedback from demonstration projects being developed worldwide
- Support existing CCS networks and bodies and their work to exchange information between industry and academia; government and regulators; and financiers and insurers
This plan is feasible, the report says, in large part because of known storage assets in the North Sea. According to the report, in the U.K. North Sea alone storage assets which have already been identified can hold 60-80 billion tonnes of CO2 and an additional 70 billion tonnes of storage capacity has been identified by Norway. The report and 10-point plan, Stuart Haszeldine, SCCS Director, said in a release, “shows how the North Sea region can accelerate delivery of CCS across many nations. We specify actions to deliver essential infrastructure, and pinpoint incentives to support CO2 transport and storage as well as develop cost-effective CCS clusters in regions across Europe. Now is the time to transfer skills from a challenged oil industry to revolutionise carbon storage.”
