News
Publish date: November 10, 2008
Written by: Anne Karin Sæther
News
During it’s general assembly in Brussel last week, the European Technology Platform on Zero Emission Fossil Fuel Power Plants (ZEP), published a report called ”EU Demonstration Programme for CCS – ZEP’s Proposal”.
The EU has decided to establish 10-12 demonstration projects for CO2 capture and storage (CCS) within 2015, but so far the process has been at a standstill. The new ZEP report provides concrete advise for how to kick-start the process and realizing the demonstration projects.
Good advice to the commission
Bellona has been strongly involved in working out the report, and is pleased with the result.
So is also EUs Energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs, who gave a speech during ZEPs general assembly on the 10th of November.
"The recommendations that ZEP has provided will probably be close to reality. ZEP has given the European Commission a good blue print," said Piebalgs to Bellona web.
Extremely important work
"I greatly appreciate what ZEP has done so far. ZEPs work is extremely important," said Piebalgs.
"The recommendations from ZEP are very concrete and useful. The will be important for us," Pibalgs added.
Support for Bellona
The President of Bellona Frederic Hauge, appreciates the acceptance from the EU Commissioner.
"I am especially glad that Piebalgs emphasizes that CCS is the only thing that can clean industrial emissions. That provides an important support for what we have been fighting for in ZEP; that not only emissions from power plants, but also from industrial sources should be included in the demonstration projects," says Hauge.
Gained support before
In the new report ZEP gives concrete advice regarding which criteria that should be used when the European Commission will decide which projects that should be pursued, and how they should be financed.
Piebalgs said that the advice from ZEP would be followed in a large extent. The advices from ZEP have also been followed before.
In September 2006 ZEP recommended that it should be built 10-12 demonstration projects for CCS in the EU. The European Commission took the recommendation, and went for the same target. In March 2007 the heads of EU’s states and governments decided that the 10-12 projects should be realized within 2015.
An accident aboard numerous Volgoneft oil tankers in the Kerch in mid December clearly show what can happen to aged ships when they are operated in bad weather—and when economic and military objectives are prioritized over the lives of crews and environmental safety.
In this news digest, we monitor events that impact the environment in the Russian Arctic. Our focus lies in identifying the factors that contribute to pollution and climate change.
A survey of events in the field of nuclear and radiation safety relating to Russia and Ukraine.
A visit last week by Vladimir Putin and a Kremlin entourage to Astana, Kazakhstan sought in part to put Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear corporation, on good footing with local officials.