CCS – An overview of the project
Meeting the challenge of combating climate change presents opportunities as well as risks. While we have to move to renewable forms of energy, fossil fuels will continue to be our main source of energy over the next few decades. This gives us the opportunity to explore processes and technologies that reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) when fossil fuels are used.
Developing carbon capture and storage (CCS) at large scale is one of those opportunities. Capturing CO2 emitted at source, and then storing it safely deep in depleted gas fields and other geological locations offshore, provides a means of managing our carbon emissions.CO2Sense are working with industry partners and the government in enabling a CCS infrastructure in Yorkshire and the Humber.
A study commissioned by Yorkshire Forward, in June 2008, concluded that building a viable CO2 transportation network would be one of the most practical steps to attract investment and so reduce the costs of CCS.The system could transport approximately 320 million tonnes of CO2 by 2030, 850 million tonnes by 2040, and may store 1,500 million tonnes of CO2 by 2050. To give a sense of scale, 1,500 million tonnes is equivalent to the emissions from all the present cars in the UK for 75 years.CO2Sense believes with the right public and private sector investment, it is possible to implement the initial phase of this network by 2015.
Supporting the creation of a profitable CCS economy
In October 2009, The Powerfuel Power Ltd Hatfield site in South Yorkshire was successful in an application for European funding with National Grid, and is the location for a proposed commercial scale CCS demonstration project.
Powerfuel will receive €180m in investment, and be part of a €1.05bn Europe-wide plan to invest in carbon capture projects at seven European sites.
Developing an integrated pipeline system that links up several facilities is a more economically viable option than each plant constructing its own transport system.
Along with industries across the CCS chain, CO2Sense is working to make a CCS network in the region a reality.
For further information, click here to see related CCS documents, including our brochure.
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