UKCCSC News 23 April 2009

Hi Folks,

I expect you’ve read the UK Treasury Budget Report by now, all 260 pages of it. I’ll be asking questions later… Section 7 is all about Building a Low-Carbon Economy, with CCS occupying sections 7.31 to 7.35.

“Budget 2009 sets the world’s first carbon budgets, as required by the new Climate Change Act. These set a legally binding 34 per cent reduction in emissions by 2020, a new level of ambition for UK climate policy.”

“Budget 2009 announces that it is the Government’s intention to put in place a mechanism to deliver up to four CCS demonstration projects, including both pre- and post-combustion coal projects.”

‘up to four’ is specified as 2 – 4.

https://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/bud_bud09_index.htm

And how are they going to pay for this?

“The Chancellor also outlined plans for a levy on consumers to pay for up to four carbon capture and storage projects” TimesOnline (23 Apr)

https://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/budget/article6150802.ece

The plans for CCS are firmed up by the following DECC press release (23 April):

“No new coal without CCS demonstration from day one.” “Full scale retrofit of CCS within five years of the technology being independently judged as technically and commercially proven.”

https://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/pn050/pn050.aspx

Sir Nicolas Stern liked the Budget proposals:

“The additional investment in carbon capture and storage will move the UK towards leadership in this field.” Guardian (22 Apr)

https://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2009/apr/22/nicholas-stern-climate-change-budget-reaction

2) The UK Conservative Party proposals suddenly look about average (of 2- 4?):

“Tories would fund three carbon capture schemes” Building (16 Apr)

“Shadow chancellor [George Osbourne] announces cash as part of £30bn ‘green technology recovery plan’”

https://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=284&storycode=3138600&c=0

This is 1 of 10 measures the Tories propose to make Britain greener. The ideas are good ones, if only politicians did what they promise while scrabbling desperately to get back into power.

https://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/apr/16/budget-tories-green-economy

3) “US says CO₂ is a danger to human health”

“Barack Obama’s administration yesterday took its first concrete step towards regulating greenhouse gas emissions by declaring carbon dioxide a danger to human health and welfare.

It clears the way for the US Environmental Protection Agency to regulate CO₂ emissions under existing air pollution laws, without the need for fresh legislation.”

https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d7284562-2bb1-11de-b806-00144feabdc0.html

4) Still in the Good ol’ US of A:

“E.P.A. Releases Analysis of Climate Bill” New York Times (21 Apr)

The Environment Protection Agency say the bill will ““drive the clean energy transformations of the U.S. economy,” and substantially reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions”

https://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/epa-releases-analysis-of-climate-bill/

5) Tankers to sail off with carbon waste

“The world’s biggest cargo carriers, including Maersk and IM Skaugen, have begun talks with power companies in Britain and Europe that could see them build new fleets of tankers specially made to transport the greenhouse gas captured from clean-coal power stations.”

https://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article6122254.ece

6) “E.ON proposes Thames CO₂ capture network” Reuters (21 Apr)

“E.ON’s UK unit proposed on Tuesday a pipeline network in the Thames and Medway Estuaries to capture, transport and store 85 percent of carbon emissions the region is expected to emit after 2016.”

https://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUKTRE53K59620090421

The report can be accessed here:

https://www.eon-uk.com/generation/1784.aspx

7) CCS isn’t universally popular in the Netherlands, apparently;

“Shell’s Plan to Lead in Storage of Carbon Dioxide Hits a Snag”

In Barendrecht … “locals are trying to block the company’s plan to bury CO₂ under their town”

https://online.wsj.com/article/SB124024483430835389.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

8) “Chinese Clean Coal Will Be Critical, a Report Says” Green Inc. (Apr 20)

“How then, to control Chinese — and hence global — carbon emissions? A new study by the International Energy Agency published today … offers a few ideas wrapped up in a sobering package.”

There is a link to the report here:

https://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/chinese-clean-coal-will-be-critical-report/

That’s all Folks

Mark