News
Publish date: May 6, 2009
Written by: Camilla Langsholt
News
Although the coal production in the European Union (EU) declines, in contrast with other continents, the import of coal to the EU has increased by 40 percent over the last 10 years.
“Europe’s continued dependence on coal for energy supply, underlines the importance of an urgent deployment of CO2 capture and storage”, says Eivind Hoff of Bellona Europa.
The EU has the latest months shown important leadership in the deployment of CO2 capture and storage (CCS). Through the adoption of the EU economic recovery package, where €1.05 billion is set aside for CCS projects, and equally the 10-12 planned CCS demonstration projects financed by 300 million emission allowances in the revised Emission Trade Scheme Directive.
To speed up the deployment of CCS by 2020 however the regulatory tool could be an emission performance standard, effectively banning coal fired power plants without CCS.
For more information on carbon capture and storage please consult Bellona’s CCS web.
Recent attacks on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant "mark the beginning of a new and gravely dangerous front of the war," the UN atomic agency's director general said last week.
After years of inaction, Germany is working on its Carbon Management Strategy to resolve how CCS can play a role in climate action in industry. At the end of February, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action published first key points and a proposal to amend the law Kohlenstoffdioxid Speicherungsgesetz (KSpG). Bellona Deutschland, who was actively involved in the previous stakeholder dialogue submitted a statement in the association hearing.
In the midst of a global discussion on whether natural gas should be used as a transitional fuel and whether emissions from its extraction, production, transport and use are significantly less than those from other fossil fuels, Russia has developed ambitious plans to increase its own production of liquified natural gas (LNG) in the Arctic – a region with 75% of proven gas reserves in Russia – to raise its share in the international gas trade.
In this news digest, we monitor events that impact the environment in the Russian Arctic. Our main focus lies in identifying the factors that contribute to pollution risks and climate change.