News
Publish date: August 22, 2010
Written by: Veronica Webster
News
An EPS establishes a maximum level of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, or CO2 equivalent, per unit of output from an electricity-generating power plant.
In a letter where Mr Huhne responds to The Guardian’s article entitled “Dirtiest coal power plants win reprieve”, he explains that the government is by no means “watering down” its commitment to an EPS.
Last month Mr Huhne said it would consult on a number of issues related to electricity market reform, including an EPS, and make proposals in a white paper in spring 2011.
“This Government has committed to introducing an Emissions Performance Standard. […] The view that [the white paper not being published until spring 2011] might raise the possibility of new coal-fired power stations “slipping through the system” is ludicrous”, reads the letter.
Many experts and organizations – including Bellona – argue that the current depressed carbon price make additional incentives such as an EPS necessary for CCS. An EPS would act as the regulatory incentive for the private sector to make the much-needed wide-scale investments in CCS in the short term.
Read Mr Huhne’s reaction to the media report here, the media report in The Guardian and a full article on this topic in the environmental newservice ENDS.
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.