Global coal demand has doubled since the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, illustrating the need for increased support for carbon capture and storage to offset the resulting increase in carbon emissions, according to a report issued Monday by Finland-based international consulting and engineering firm Pöyry. “Coal is not about to disappear from our energy mix any time soon. And power stations that currently burn coal make up a large share of total global electricity and heat production. At the same time, climate change risks are accumulating and are likely to gain more attention over the coming years,” the report says.
The report suggests a need for urgent action in two areas related to CCS: appraisal and development of underground CO2 storage sites, and development of an economic model that put CCS on a level playing field with other low-carbon technologies.
“Increasing the coal fleet’s efficiency is very important but in addition we need to co-fire coal capacity with biomass and push harder on CCS. Sadly on CCS, we are in need of urgent practical progress when it comes to the appraisal and development of CO2 storage sites and the economic model that makes costly CCS plants competitive with their carbon-emitting counterparts,” Matt Brown, vice president of Pöyry Management Consulting, said in a press release.
