Clean Coal

Carbon Capture and Storage in South Africa

'How did the UK get it right so that a London taxi driver knows about CCS?’' This was one of the questions thrown at Ed Miliband when he addressed a meeting at the Carbon Capture and Storage Centre in Johannesburg.

Ed Miliband was in South Africa on a flying visit to discuss climate change with his opposite number, as well as business leaders and civil society. At the CCS Centre, he acknowledged the historical responsibility that the UK has for their part in emissions and added that they have set the target of 34% carbon savings on 1990 by 2020.  But he emphasised the importance of developing countries moving towards a low-carbon pathway.  With 75% of growth in emissions in the next decade coming from developing countries, we would still cross the threshold of 2 degrees warming even if developed economies closed down.

Coal is an important element in South Africa where some 70% of its total energy requirements are met by this fossil fuel.  The challenge is being able to show that the coal industry has a low-carbon future.  This highlighted the importance of CCS as one of the mitigation measures required in a clean coal future.

South Africa and UK sharing CCS lessons

Ed Miliband explained that that the UK had a public discussion on coal and climate change over the last few years and emphasised that a large part of obtaining public acceptance is the need to scientifically prove the safety of CCS.  He said that the UK was committed to establish up to 4 CCS Demonstration plants in the near future.

He therefore recognised the focus South Africa was giving to this technology and welcomed the fact that the UK Government is one of the core funders of the Centre, along with industry and the South African Government. This was should become a global technology, and not reserved for the wealthy industrialised nations.

The South African began a CO2 Storage atlas in 2008, to map out potential geological sites, and rank them in suitability. The results are expected early next year.  The Centre itself aims to commission a test injection site by 2016 and a full demonstration plant by 2020.

Related Links

'UK's Miliband sees clean coal forming part of future energy mix', Engineering News 6 August 2009