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Publish date: April 14, 2010
Written by: Veronica Webster
News
The report, compiled by geologist Peter van der Gaag, states that the former gas fields under Barendrecht are ‘technical-geologically’ unsuited for CO2 storage. The report was ordered by the Dutch ministry of Economic Affairs, but was never made publicly available. The television programme exposing this affair has sparked up new discussions about the safety of CO2 storage in Barendrecht.
At the time, researchers from the University of Utrecht judged that the report would score 3 out of 10 (with 5 being a pass in higher education in the Netherlands) if it had been written by a student.
“Without more detailed information, it’s unclear to me whether or not it’s a scandal that the government held back this report”, said PhD student, Nicole Huijts, who specializes in public acceptance of new technologies at the faculty of Technology, Policy and Management of the University of Utrecht.
Nevertheless, the fact that it was withheld from publication has caused a rise in distrust and reignited public debate.
“It would’ve been better if the government had started a public debate about this much earlier,” Huijts added.
“Ten years ago this topic had already appeared in policy documents. A lot of technical and legal issues, as well as the best spots to store the carbon, must still be determined, but nevertheless the government should have started debates. That way people would’ve had more time to get used to the idea,” she said.
The response to the Barendrecht television documentary clearly highlights the importance of integrating public outreach programmes with technical advancements of CCS projects from the very beginning.
To learn more on this process, access Bellona’s Guidelines for public support of CCS here.
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.