Longannet fails to secure Euro millions - WWF Scotland comment
4 October 2009
ScottishPower's plans for developing a carbon-capture and storage (CCS) system at its Longannet coal-fired power station, in Fife, is set to miss out in the first allocation of hundreds of millions of pounds of financial support from the European Commission. [1]
Last week the EC named seven carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects that it says should share E1.05bn in EU economic recovery funds set aside to develop the fledgling technology. The Longannet CCS proposal was one of four UK plans originally put forward for European funding, but is not amongst the seven identified for funding this time round. [2] A proposal for a CCS facility at Hatfield in Yorkshire was successful.
Commenting on the news WWF Scotland's Director, Richard Dixon, said:
"It is disappointing Longannet has not been chosen this time around. We sincerely hope it will get some form of support to properly test this technology soon, whether it is from Europe or as a winner of the UK Government's own CCS competition. [3]
"The world urgently needs technology that will reduce our climate emissions and Scotland is very well placed to take a global lead in this important field. The power sector is responsible for more than a third of Scotland's CO2 emissions, most of it from burning coal. CCS is a potentially important technology which could help reduce emissions around the world."
NOTES TO EDITORS:
[1] Reuters: German, UK coal plants on carbon capture shortlist
http://in.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idINL259372620091002
See also: http://www.endseurope.com/22281
The European Commission has named seven carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects that it says should share E1.05bn in EU economic recovery funds set aside to develop the fledgling technology. The plan was presented to member states in Brussels on at the end of last week.
Projects in Jaenschwalde in Germany (Vattenfall), Rotterdam in the Netherlands (Eon and Electrabel), Belchatow in Poland, Compostilla in Spain, Hatfield in the UK, Porto Tolle in Italy and Florange in France (a CO2 transport project) are to each receive up to E180m in EU funds.
[2] The commission selected seven of the 11 projects that applied for funding. These came from a list of 13 projects that were deemed eligible for funding.
The original list of bids (including Longannet):
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/eplive/expert/multimedia/20090416MLT53793/media_20090416MLT53793.pdf
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/051-53786-106-04-16-909-20090416IPR53785-16-04-2009-2009-false/default_en.htm
[3] UK CCS Demonstration Competition
http://www.berr.gov.uk/energy/sources/sustainable/ccs/ccs-demo/page40961.html
[4] Earlier this year WWF published a report 'Carbon Choices' which showed Longannet power station was the best option in the UK Government competition for a carbon capture trial. The environmental group warned that other sites being considered, which would involve building new coal fired power stations, would result in vastly higher carbon emissions, equivalent to Scotland's total annual emissions.
