Carbon capture projects worldwide rise to 15 -report

By Valerie Volcovici
WASHINGTON, Nov 5 (Reuters) - There are now 15 projects in
operation worldwide that have captured 28 million tonnes of
carbon dioxide emissions from coal and industrial plants this
year, a technology that must be scaled-up to tackle climate
change, a report released Thursday said.
One new carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in Canada
and one in Saudi Arabia started operations this year, the report
from the Global CCS Institute said. It said the number of
projects worldwide is now double the number of projects that
were in operation in 2010.
The Australia-based Institute's members include governments
and companies interested in CCS to slow global warming.
With another seven projects due to come online in Europe,
the United States and China in the next 18 months, the amount of
carbon emissions that can be captured from coal plants using the
technology will rise to 40 million tonnes per year.
The International Energy Agency has said that by 2040, 4
billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions must be captured to
keep global warming at bay. That is 100 times more than the
total that is expected to be online within the next 18 months.
The report said CCS technology is needed for countries to be
able to meet a collective goal to limit global warming to a
maximum of 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above
preindustrial levels by the year 2100.
Ahead of a two-week United Nations climate change summit
that will take place in Paris from Nov. 30, more than 150
countries have submitted national plans to cut or stem the
growth of greenhouse gas emissions, but those plans would not
achieve the 2-degree limit.
"CCS has a vital role to play as part of the overall
technology mix required to meet the internationally agreed goal
of limiting the impact of global warming to 2 degrees," said
Brad Page, CEO of the Institute.
Page said global investment in CCS has totaled $20 billion
since 2007, and needs more policy and financial support for the
technology to reach commercial scale.
"Compare that to investment of around 100 times that amount
for renewable power generation technologies over the same
timeframe," he said. "A disparity in policy support is the main
reason for this."
Page said the technology will be crucial in Asia, where
emissions are projected to soar and countries have easy access
to fossil fuels.