Policy Focus

MEPs call for CCS technology in EU power plants by 2015

MEPs have backed proposals that aim to equip all large power stations in the EU with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology.

Parliament’s environment committee on Tuesday backed a report by UK ALDE deputy Chris Davies, which commits European funding of up to €10bn to new CCS demonstration plants.

Davies said that the decision to provide financial support for CCS had been a close call, but that the measures were essential if Europe was serious about reducing CO2 emissions.

“We have introduced by the smallest margin imaginable a €10bn fund to support CCS,” he told reporters.

“We need to be taking a lead, to demonstrate that we are prepared to curb the construction of old, dirty, emission-heavy power stations,” he added.

Carbon capture technology works by trapping the CO2 emissions from the power plant at source and burying them underground.

The report calls for binding legislation to ensure that CO2 emissions from power plants cannot exceed 500kg per kilowatt hour (Kwh).

MEPs on the environment committee also backed the possibility of using up to 500m spare auction credits from the EU’s emissions trading scheme (ETS) as a way of funding the demonstration plants.

Environmental groups have said, however, that this level of funding has diverted attention away from other energy options.

“[This is] far too much funding for one technology,” Sanjeev Kumar, speaking on behalf of environmental organisation Climate Action Network, told theparliament.com.

“We’re not good at picking winners, generally speaking, when it comes to technology,” he added.

But Davies said that these CCS proposals were “absolutely crucial” if the EU was to set an example to emerging economies such as India and China.

It is now up to the council, he said, to help smooth the road from political support towards the actual implementation of CCS in member states.

“We lay down a challenge to the council: you’ve said that CCS is essential…either now you must back the proposals that the committee in parliament has come up with today or before the end of the year you must come up with some substantial proposals of your own,” he said.