UK 'behind' on emissions storage

The UK is falling behind other countries in the drive to develop technology which can capture and permanently store carbon emissions from power stations, according to a report by leading engineers.

The study by the Institution of Civil Engineers said carbon capture and storage technology, which can cut emissions from sources such as coal-fired power stations by up to 90 per cent, was urgently needed as part of efforts to tackle climate change.

But progress in developing CCS in the UK needs to be "greatly accelerated" if it is to deliver major emissions cuts, as well as jobs and economic opportunities through construction in this country and export abroad.

CCS has been given a key role by officials in cutting the UK's emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, but the major barrier to its development has been a lack of sufficient incentives, the study found.

With uncertainty about how up to four demonstration plants planned by the government will be funded and no coherent regulatory framework for developing the large-scale technology, progress has stalled, the ICE said.

As a result, the UK, which had the opportunity to lead the way in carbon capture and storage, has fallen behind other nations in the race to get the low-carbon technology up and running on power stations and other major industrial plants such as cement works.

The ICE called on the government to take a lead in the UK, and set out a clear road map for developing CCS.

It said there should be support to develop the four demonstration plants as a "cluster" in the same area, with shared pipes taking the carbon dioxide gas to underground storage to cut the overall costs.

The institution also said officials should be open with the public that CCS, which requires the consumption of extra energy to process the CO2, would create "cleaner" but not carbon-free power and would push up consumer bills.

ICE vice president Geoff French said: "If we want to keep a competitive lead and take advantage of the export opportunity it presents, progress needs to be greatly accelerated."