Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) involves removing dangerous greenhouse gas emissions, like carbon dioxide, from the coal power generation process before it gets into the atmosphere.
The technology could be viable at some point in the future but…
“CCS is as yet unproven technology and we have to acknowledge there is some risk that safe and reliable CCS for power generation might not be proven or deployable at scale and at reasonable costs.”
- John Hutton, former UK Energy Minister
In April 2009, Ed Miliband the UK minister for climate change and energy announced that all new coal power stations must capture at least 25% of their emissions to win approval. Then IF CCS is proven to be economically and technologically viable they will need to capture all their emission by 2025.
EON’s Kingsnorth will almost certainly now gain government approval along with three other stations based on a hope that CCS will materialise. Kingsnorth will pump millions of tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere each year and under Ed’s plans for every tonne of carbon captured three will still be released to go on and drive climate change.
If the technology doesn’t materialise or is too expensive will the government of the day really close down these coal-fired stations? Sounds unlikely to us.
Like our EV-EON water carbon capture sounds great, but until it’s proven to work at scale new coal fired powers stations can’t be given the green light.
Find out what you can do and the alternatives to coal….
