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Long-term carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstrator projects are likely to survive unscathed by future government cuts in spending, the top Whitehall official overseeing the development of the emerging technology has claimed.
Bronwen Northmore, head of CCS delivery at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, said that although the government was in the process of carrying out a comprehensive spending review, two specific factors gave her belief that CCS would escape funding cutbacks.
“Firstly there is a statement in the coalition agreement that we will continue public sector investment in CCS technology for four coal-fired power stations – that’s there in black and white,” she said.
“Secondly, we have a levy system for funding these projects which will enable us to levy electricity supplies so that we are not dependent on public expenditure and that we have a stream of funding.
“These are two positives, and there’s a huge political commitment to it – our new energy minister, Charles Hendry, is extremely enthusiastic for CCS.”
Her comments came as the government-backed Energy Technologies Institute confirmed it had closed a request for proposals for a £25 million project to establish an advanced CO2 capture technology demonstration using pre-combustion. Dr David Clarke, chief executive of the institute said: “We have had a few very good bids from major industrial groups.”
Waste products
The Energy Technologies Institute has also provided funding for a project to examine the potential of capturing carbon through mineralisation. Minerals such as magnesium sulphate and CO2 could react together to permanently store CO2 as a solid carbonate product to be safely stored, used as an aggregate or turned into a useful end product such as bricks or filler for concrete.
The technology would be suited to major industrial sites emitting significant quantities of CO2 but which are located a long way from a pipe network.
The ETI project team, led by the construction equipment and engine manufacturer Caterpillar, is identifying an industrial site to house a trial and is assessing the economic viability of the technology. ETI chief executive David Clarke said: “CCS by mineralisation has potential on many UK industrial sites.”