Decision due in contest for carbon capture site
Project would breathe new life into use of coal and create thousands of jobs
Published:
A major step forward is expected to be taken this week in a contest aimed at paving the way for the creation of thousands of jobs in the north-east storing carbon under the sea.
The UK Government is expected to formally designate a project involving the removal of CO from emissions generated by burning coal at Longannet power station in Fife as one of two likely to secure tens of millions of pounds of state support.
The project, under development by Scottish Power in partnership with Shell and National Grid, will involve the commercial-scale extraction of carbon from flue gases.
It would be pumped through pipelines to be permanently stored in aquifers – underground layers of permeable rock – or in exhausted oil or gas fields under the North Sea.
If successful, it would breathe new life into coal mining and the use of coal for power generation and create a whole new carbon sequestration industry providing employment on and offshore, just as the oil and gas sectors wind down.
The sole other competitor in the contest is likely to be Eon, which is proposing to build a new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent.
The Longannet project is believed to have the edge because it involves developing a technology that can be retrofitted to existing coal-fired power stations while Kingsnorth is a new build.
WWF Scotland director Richard Dixon said: “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.
“If Longannet is able to secure this government support then it brings Scotland one step closer to reducing its own emissions while creating the potential for a massive new global export business.
“Our own research confirms that Longannet is the best place in the UK to try out carbon capture.”
Angus MP Mike Weir, who is the SNP’s energy spokesman, said: “Longannet is the obvious choice for this demonstrator project. A small pilot project is running at the moment.
“Ease of access to the North Sea means it could link up with existing infrastructure offshore, with huge implications for the Scottish economy and the potential to create thousands of jobs in the north-east.”
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