CCS Seminar attracts international experts

14 May 2009

On Monday, 27 April 2009, the Coal Association hosted a one-day seminar on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). The seminar was organised by CRL Energy and included nine speakers from a variety of organisations in New Zealand and abroad who provided stakeholders with an update on the status and prospects for CCS globally. The seminar was attended by 63 participants including energy suppliers, users, officials and research providers.

Chris Baker, Chairman of the Coal Association, said that many of the attendees at the CCS seminar may have had the view that CCS has been around for some time and that there is a lot of talk but not a lot of action. But after this seminar many have changed their minds.

“There is a lot happening globally; Snohvit, In-Salah, Sleipner, Rangeley, and Weyburn are just some of the projects that John Gale, General Manager of the IEA GHG R&D Programme, provided an overview on; there are also other projects underway which speakers have outlined including the assessment of New Zealand’s CCS potential, and Australia’s Callide Oxyfuel Project.”

John Topper, Director of the IEA Clean Coal Centre, presented an overview of coal issues worldwide and discussed the IEA projection that world energy demand will expand by 45% by 2030 (one third to be supplied by coal) unless measures are taken to limit this growth. “John’s address crystallised the importance of CCS if the world is to respond successfully to climate change,” says Mr Baker.

“The establishment of the Global CCS Institute (GCCSI) in Australia, which CEO Nick Otter talked about, is a key development for CCS. New Zealand has become a founding member of the Global CCS Institute, a contribution that we strongly support and that will be vital for keeping abreast of international activities, building New Zealand’s international links and guiding our own CCS programme.”

David Brown, Chief Executive of CS Energy, outlined the A$204 million clean coal demonstration project in Queensland – the Callide Oxyfuel Project – which aims to demonstrate that oxyfuel combustion combined with carbon dioxide capture and sequestration can achieve near-zero gas emissions from coal-fired electricity generation.

Dr Rob Funnell from GNS Science provided an overview of New Zealand’s options for carbon dioxide storage. “While there may only be a few point sources of sufficient magnitude to warrant CCS in New Zealand, we have large resources of lignite. If these are to be developed, then CCS options need to be addressed,” says Mr Baker.

Neil Wildgust and Tim Dixon (also from the IEA GHG R&D Programme) presented storage lessons and international CCS regulations, while Kate Riddell from New Zealand’s Ministry of Economic Development outlined the work her regulatory team is undertaking, including the likely consultation process, to develop CCS regulations in New Zealand.

“CCS is largely a collection of technologies that are known and broadly understood. R&D will continue to be of huge importance, but the critical issue for CCS internationally is moving from R&D and pilot scale operations to commercial scale operations.

“The global vision for CCS, and the vision of the GCCSI, is to have twenty commercial-scale plants in operation by 2020. This seminar provided an understanding of the activities that are going on to help realise that outcome. A key driver to realise that vision will be the financial, technical and risk contribution governments are prepared to make in partnership and collaboration with industry.

“To get CCS up and running, and to do so in a challenging time frame, there are some major technical and financial hurdles to overcome, and governments have an essential role to play in addressing those hurdles for what is after all a societal problem. The price of carbon, while it may over time have an important role in addressing climate change, will not on its own be an incentive sufficient to drive the deployment of CCS. For these technologies we need the investment and risk sharing that only governments can provide.”

CRL Energy regularly organises conferences and seminars for stakeholders in the energy sector such as the Coal Association and the Energy Federation of New Zealand. Check our events page for coming events or contact Cito Gazo for more information.