Related article: Yes, carbon capture and storage is controversial—but it’s going to be crucial

deepC Store and Azuli have been awarded two GHG acreages in waters off the coast of Australia. J-POWER intends to become a joint venture participant in the GHG Acreages, which have the potential to permanently store up to 1 billion tonnes of CO2.

J-Power executive officer Akira Yabumoto said, “We are excited to work with deepC Store and Azuli on CCS development.

“We expect that this development will contribute providing a valuable option to Japan and Australia as well as the surrounding region to reduce CO2.

“CCS will play a critical role in J-Power’s Blue Mission 2050, as well as global energy transitions. We will continue pursuing opportunities for CCS development and carbon reduction with CCS.”

Related article: Genex agrees to takeover bid by J-POWER

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) involves capturing, transporting and storing greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel power stations, energy intensive industries, and gas fields by injecting the captured greenhouse gases back into the ground.

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The funding round was led by local and global leaders in energy, construction and chemical manufacturing including Woodside Energy, Cemex Ventures, and a major petrochemical company.

Related article: Yes, carbon capture and storage is controversial—but it’s going to be crucial

Founded in 2021, KC8 provides essential, yet hard to decarbonise, industries such as cement, steel, power generation and chemical production with a lower-cost, and lower potential environmental impact CO2 capture technology compared to conventional amine-based processes.

Its technology can capture up to 95% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from heavy industrial sources at a capital cost up to 50% lower than amine-based solutions and at an improved energy efficiency of up to 15%.

Traditionally, the Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) industry uses amine-based solvents on these hard-to-abate industries. KC8 has developed a proprietary non-toxic solvent that’s derived from a naturally-occurring material. This allows KC8’s technology to treat low pressure, high volumes exhaust gases at lower cost to help these industries meet their net zero targets.

Woodside vice president carbon solutions Jayne Baird said KC8 technology had the potential to assist Woodside’s efforts to reduce emissions from its operations.

Related article: Woodside launches carbon capture and utilisation pilot

“As a global energy company, we understand the need to innovate and develop efficient and cost-effective ways to produce safe, lower carbon, affordable and reliable energy through the energy transition,” she said.

“We want to ensure we enable the technological innovation required to do this.”

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Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar are vital tools to help us make cuts to the 36 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases we emit each year.

But renewables alone can’t get us to net zero. Sectors such as cement, steel and chemical manufacturing produce significant carbon dioxide emissions difficult to eliminate through renewable energy alone.

This is why carbon capture, utilisation and storage has a place. This technology—invented by the oil and gas industry—is the best solution we have at present to capture these emissions at their source, before they can escape to the atmosphere.

Environmentalists have long been sceptical of carbon capture, warning it could be used to prolong fossil fuel dependence. That’s a matter for policy—the science is clear. We will need to capture carbon for the time being.

While essential, the roll out of carbon capture is sluggish. As a new report shows, we’re removing just two billion tonnes of CO₂ from the atmosphere each year—and almost all of that is by planting trees. Carbon capture accounts for less than 0.1% so far.

Related article: Australia now has a $70 ‘shadow price’ on carbon emissions. Here’s why we won’t see a real price any time soon

How does carbon capture and storage work?

The technology was first used in the 1920s to separate carbon dioxide out from methane in fossil gas deposits.

By the 1970s, it had found use in boosting oil recovery—if you separate out the CO₂, you can pump it back down into the oil field and get more out. To date, the world’s largest carbon capture operation is in Western Australia, where Chevron is pumping carbon dioxide filtered from natural gas back underground. This history is why there’s been so much scepticism about the technology.

This is not entirely fair. The technology itself is neutral. If we detach it from its history, we can better assess its worth.

What carbon capture and storage offers is the ability to capture carbon dioxide emitted by the manufacture of cement and iron/steel. Together these account for about 15% of the world’s emissions total (8% and 7.2% respectively).

Once we capture carbon dioxide, we can use it in industrial processes such as chemical synthesis and food preservation. This approach can cut emissions while adding value, if waste CO₂ can be used for valuable products.

Alternatively, it can be stored in deep underground in stable geological formations such as porous sandstone capped with impermeable rock, or salt caverns, either natural or human-made. Here, it should stay for hundreds of years as gas. In some locations, carbon dioxide can react with minerals to form stable carbonates, effectively turning CO₂ into rock.

Carbon capture and storage can be added reasonably easily to existing infrastructure such as fossil fuel power plants, oil and gas fields and gas compression stations, offering a transitional pathway towards clean energy.

Retrofitting existing plants with capture and storage technology can significantly reduce emissions without the need to immediately decommission still-functional power plants.

What if carbon capture is a fig leaf?

Critics of carbon capture argue the technology will likely be used to prolong the use of fossil fuels rather than phase them out as quickly as possible. In this view, carbon capture would be used by fossil fuel plant operators and companies as a way to make coal or gas “green”, and delay the full transition.

This concern is valid. There is a risk leaders in fossil-fuel intensive industries might see capture and storage as a way to continue their operations with less pressure to innovate or reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, just as some have embraced carbon offsets to avoid fundamental change.

But again, this doesn’t mean we should discard the technology. While we now have good options for making electricity without emissions, we don’t yet have many options in tackling industrial emissions. While methods of making steel and cement without fossil fuels are emerging, change is slow and the problem of climate change is urgent.

Authorities from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to the International Energy Agency see an unavoidable role for carbon capture and storage.

The European Union’s Green Deal emphasises the role of carbon capture in cutting industrial emissions, while the United States has introduced tax credits and funding to accelerate its adoption.

Australia’s government last year invited companies to explore ten offshore sedimentary basins for possible carbon storage. But not everywhere is suitable – Queensland’s government recently banned the technology anywhere inside the Great Artesian Basin, due to concerns over the impact of the gas on groundwater.

Related article: Flow Power pioneers Aussie-first carbon offsetting strategy 

How can we make best use of the technology?

For carbon capture and storage to grow to the size we need, it will need effective policy support such as tax credits, subsidies, and funding for research and development to drive innovation and cut costs.

In my research, I have worked with industry partners to find ways of making carbon capture useful. If a waste product has value, there’s an immediate incentive to capture it. For instance, I’ve worked on converting carbon dioxide into “solar fuels” such as green methane and methanol.

We might think the future of energy will be solar, wind and storage. But it’s not going to be that simple. Fossil fuels will be harder to wean ourselves off than we realise. We’ll need green hydrogen for industrial uses and to make ammonia for green fertilisers. And we’ll have to ramp up carbon capture and storage for industrial emissions.

We might not like the idea of carbon capture and storage, but we will need it if we are going to get serious about net zero. At present, there’s nothing else like it for hard-to-abate sectors. What we must avoid is using it to prop up fossil fuels.

Disclosure statement: Tianyi Ma receives funding from Australian Research Council (ARC) and Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

Republished from The Conversation under Creative Commons

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This relatively new carbon storage technique, known as mineralisation, has been used successfully in Iceland, where the reactivity of the basalt volcanic rock converts the carbon dioxide rapidly into new minerals, safely locking it away underground.

Related article: Decarbonisation tech converts CO2 to solid carbon

Carbon capture and storage is becoming increasingly important to reduce the levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, where they are the principal contributor to global heating.

The scientists will work with Icelandic mineralisation operator Carbfix to test new methods to track the carbon dioxide being captured from the country’s largest geothermal power plant and verify its safe and permanent storage.

Dr Stuart Gilfillan, of the University of Edinburgh, and his team will use mineral analysis techniques and a novel CO2 fingerprinting tool, currently being patented by Edinburgh Innovations, the University’s commercialisation service.

The INCLUSION project, in collaboration with Carbfix and the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC), has been awarded £1 million of funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)’s Pushing the Frontiers scheme.

Dr Gilfillan said, “This project will combine the state-of-the-art scientific laboratory facilities available in Scotland with the world’s leading CO2 mineralisation project to provide essential understanding of how to safely lock away CO2 underground in basalts.

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“We will also develop our understanding of the reactivity of basalt and other volcanic rock, to understand the potential of mineralisation in other parts of the world, such as Scotland.”

SUERC director Professor Fin Stuart said, “We will determine the unique chemical fingerprint of the injected CO2 at Carbfix, and record how that changes during the storage process. This will enable us to determine how, and how much, CO2 is stored and provide confidence in the amount of CO2 that can be stored by mineralisation in the future, which can also aid participation in carbon credit schemes.”

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The consortium brings together the diverse capabilities of three industry leaders to assess the technical, regulatory and commercial feasibility of capturing carbon emitted by multiple industries located near Karratha on the Burrup Peninsula and storing it in offshore reservoirs in the Northern Carnarvon Basin. 

Related article: Woodside unveils plans for hydrogen and ammonia production facility, H2Perth

CCS is the process of capturing CO2 from industrial activity that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere and injecting it into deep underground geologic formations for safe, secure and permanent storage. 

The study represents an important step towards the development of one of Australia’s first multi-user CCS projects, ideally located to aggregate emissions from various existing sources. It would also help facilitate the development of new lower-carbon industries, such as the production of hydrogen and ammonia, by providing a local solution for emissions. 

The successful deployment of CCS in Western Australia has the potential to create new jobs, protect current jobs and contribute to achieving greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets at a lower cost than many other technologies. 

Woodside CEO Meg O’Neill said the project was an exciting opportunity to explore another technology-driven solution to reducing emissions. 

“Carbon capture and storage will play a key role in Australia meeting its emissions targets and has the potential to decarbonise existing and new industry. It would be an important addition to Woodside’s carbon management options as we work towards our own aspiration of net zero by 2050,” she said. 

Related article: CSIRO points to ‘valuable’ CCU revenue opportunity

bp senior vice president for hydrogen and CCUS Louise Jacobsen Plutt said, “With our deep expertise and experience in CCS, this is a great opportunity for bp to explore with our longstanding joint venture partners the decarbonization of hard-to-abate industrial sectors in the north west, and Australia more widely, through the technology.” 

MIMI managing director and CEO Hiroyuki Kurahashi said, “MIMI is excited to work with our consortium partners in looking at technology to help manage and reduce CO2 emissions.” 

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The decision is certainly a win for oil and gas company Santos, which has been lobbying government for a carbon credit scheme, saying a proposed carbon capture and storage (CCS) project at its Moomba gas well in South Australia depended on whether or not it would attract carbon credits.

Energy Minister Angus Taylor lauded the scheme as a global first, saying credits could be sold back to the government through its $4.5 billion emissions reduction fund or to companies on the voluntary market, and would allow Australia to increase production of liquified natural gas (LNG).

“Our north Asian trading partners are relying on gas to reduce their emissions and provide affordable and reliable energy to power their economies,” Taylor said in a statement.

Related article: CSIRO points to ‘valuable’ CCU revenue opportunity

The government’s plan to cut emissions is based largely on CCS and hydrogen development, and it has so far resisted international pressure to set a net zero emissions target for 2050.

“To meet a net zero emissions target by 2050, the International Energy Agency projects the world would need to capture and store 7.6 billion tonnes a year of carbon dioxide by 2050, up from current CCS capacity of 40 million tonnes a year,” Reuters said.

“Under the new rules, for each tonne of carbon emissions avoided, CCS projects will earn one Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU), which can be sold by auction to the government’s Emissions Reduction Fund or sold on the private market.”

A number of companies, including BP and Glencore, are working on CCS projects in Australia. Following the announcement on Friday, Santos said it would apply to register its Moomba CCS project for ACCUs before making a final investment decision on the A$210 million project.

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APPEA chief executive Andrew McConville used his presentation at the conference to outline how CCS could be the key to safely and permanently reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the oil and gas industry, allowing the industry to continue delivering jobs, growth and modern conveniences. 

“We deal in the real world, demand for our product is continuing to grow, especially in developing countries looking to provide their citizens with reliable, affordable and cleaner energy for the first time,” Mr McConville said. 

Related article: APPEA denies ACCC warning of gas supply shortfall

“Oil and gas is an irreplaceable energy source, currently our industry already provides more than half the world’s energy, is an essential input to make the everyday products we take for granted in our modern life and, in most cases, there is no substitute for oil and gas. 

“Simultaneously climate change is our most urgent global challenge. So, we need to find ways to reduce emissions associated with oil and gas production and use—that is the real answer to achieving a cleaner energy future. 

“CCS is one of those ways where we can get the world to net zero faster while also providing our global population access to affordable, secure energy. 

“Our industry is leading CCS technology development and is the enabler of a large-scale industry in Australia that will create new jobs and skills and put Australia in the lead of the new global climate change technology race. 

Related article: Study: blue hydrogen worse than coal or gas

“Government research shows that in Australia large-scale deployment of technologies such as CCS can avoid around 250Mt of emissions by 2040. 

“The world is noticing the opportunity for CCS and with the right policy settings, Australia can emerge as a global leader in CCS.” 

Mr McConville said the oil and gas industry is already doing much of the heavy lifting when it comes to climate change action – reducing emissions through coal-to-gas switching, supporting renewables, operational improvements, hydrogen development and CCS technology. 

“Australia needs low-cost emissions abatement to maintain its position as a leading energy exporter and ensure our international competitiveness in a net zero emissions future.” 

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The CO₂ Utilisation Roadmap explores the opportunities presented by emerging carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) technologies for Australia to support new industries and reduce carbon emissions.

The roadmap identifies how emerging CCU technologies could be used to support growth opportunities in Australia’s food and beverages industry, the creation of zero or low carbon building products and materials, and position Australia for the export of low emissions chemicals and fuels.

Related article: Estimating Australia’s ‘blue carbon’ potential

CSIRO chief executive Dr Larry Marshall said CCU technologies could help transition Australia towards a lower emissions future while creating economic growth.

“No single technology will take us to net zero—the scale of our challenge in adapting to climate change and decarbonising our industries requires us to draw on every available tool,” Dr Marshall said.

“The development and demonstration of high abatement technologies like CCU has the potential to have a significant impact, as part of our broader efforts to both reduce emissions and lift the competitiveness of our industries.”

Currently, industries such as cement, steel, plastics and heavy transport still rely on fossil fuels or have inherent emissions in their processes and are traditionally ‘hard to abate.’

These industries are unable to rely on renewable technologies alone and account for about a sixth of Australia’s emissions and around a third of global emissions.

CCU technologies capture CO₂ from the waste streams of industrial processes, or directly from the atmosphere, and convert it into useful new products, ranging from synthetic fuels to food and beverages, chemicals, and building materials.

Associate director of CSIRO Futures Vivek Srinivasan said Australia was well-placed to lead in CCU technologies.

“Our analysis shows that Australia is well positioned to capitalise on the CCU opportunity and become a leader in this emerging area,” Mr Srinivasan said.

“Australia’s advantages include capacity to implement the low-cost, low-emission electricity needed for CCU technologies, a track record for developing internationally competitive export industries, and established international bilateral agreements on low emissions technologies.”

Related article: Chevron carbon capture shortfall ‘a shocking failure’

The roadmap draws on extensive national and international consultation, modelling and analysis to determine the key advantages, barriers, and considerations to support scale-up for identified areas of CCU opportunity for Australia.

By acting as a potential major user of hydrogen and helping to reduce CO₂ emissions, CCU complements CSIRO’s investment in Australia’s hydrogen and emissions reduction research through the Hydrogen Industry and Towards Net Zero Emissions Missions.

CSIRO worked with government and industry to develop the CO₂ Utilisation Roadmap including the Australian Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources; Woodside; Santos; BHP; Wesfarmers Chemicals; Energy & Fertilisers; APA Group; Mineral Carbonation International; the Victorian Government; KBR; Advisian; Australian Trade and Investment Commission; and CO₂ Value Australia.

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Visiting Professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at UNSW Science, Stephen Joseph, says the study published in GCB Bioenergy provides strong evidence that biochar can contribute to climate change mitigation.

“Biochar can draw down carbon from the atmosphere into the soil and store it for hundreds to thousands of years,” the lead author says.

“This study also found that biochar helps build organic carbon in soil by up to 20 per cent (average 3.8 per cent) and can reduce nitrous oxide emissions from soil by 12 to 50 per cent, which increases the climate change mitigation benefits of biochar.”

The findings are supported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s recent Special Report on Climate Change and Land, which estimated there was important climate change mitigation potential available through biochar.

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“The intergovernmental panel found that globally, biochar could mitigate between 300 million to 660 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year by 2050,” Prof. Joseph says.

“Compare that to Australia’s emissions last year—an estimated 499 million tonnes of carbon dioxide—and you can see that biochar can absorb a lot of emissions. We just need a will to develop and use it.”

Biochar is the product of heating biomass residues such as wood chips, animal manures, sludges, compost and green waste, in an oxygen-starved environment—a process called pyrolysis. The result is stable charcoal which can cut greenhouse emissions, while boosting soil fertility. The GCB Bioenergy study reviewed approximately 300 papers including 33 meta-analyses that examined many of the 14,000 biochar studies that have been published over the past 20 years.

“It found average crop yields increased from 10 to 42 per cent, concentrations of heavy metals in plant tissue were reduced by 17 to 39 per cent and phosphorous availability to plants increased too,” Prof. Joseph says.

“Biochar helps plants resist environmental stresses, such as diseases, and helps plants tolerate toxic metals, water stress and organic compounds such as the herbicide atrazine.”

The study details for the first time how biochar improves the root zone of a plant. In the first three weeks, as biochar reacts with the soil it can stimulate seed germination and seedling growth. During the next six months, reactive surfaces are created on biochar particles, improving nutrient supply to plants. After three to six months, biochar starts to ‘age’ in the soil and forms microaggregates that protect organic matter from decomposition.

Prof. Joseph says the study found the greatest responses to biochar were in acidic and sandy soils where biochar had been applied together with fertiliser.

“We found the positive effects of biochar were dose dependent and also dependent on matching the properties of the biochar to soil constraints and plant nutrient requirements,” Prof. Joseph says.

“Plants, particularly in low-nutrient, acidic soils common in the tropics and humid subtropics, such as the north coast of NSW and Queensland, could significantly benefit from biochar.

“Sandy soils in Western Australia, Victoria and South Australia, particularly in dryland regions increasingly affected by drought under climate change, would also greatly benefit.”

Prof. Joseph AM is an expert in producing engineered stable biochar from agriculture, urban and forestry residues. He has been researching the benefits of biochar in promoting healthy soils and addressing climate change since he was introduced to it by Indigenous Australians in the seventies. He says biochar has been used for production of crops and for maintaining healthy soils by Indigenous peoples in Australia, Latin America (especially in the Amazon basin) and Africa for many hundreds of years.

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Biochar has also been recorded in the 17th Century as a feed supplement for animals. But while Australian researchers have studied biochar since 2005, it has been relatively slow to take off as a commercial product, with Australia producing around 5000 tonnes a year.

“This is in part due to the small number of large-scale demonstration programs that have been funded, as well as farmers’ and government advisors’ lack of knowledge about biochar, regulatory hurdles, and lack of venture capital and young entrepreneurs to fund and build biochar businesses,” Prof. Joseph says.

In comparison, the US is producing about 50,000 tonnes a year, while China is producing more than 500,000 tonnes a year. Prof. Joseph, who has received an Order of Australia for his work in renewable energy and biochar, says to enable widespread adoption of biochar, it needs to be readily integrated with farming operations and be demonstrated to be economically viable.

“We’ve done the science, what we don’t have is enough resources to educate and train people, to establish demonstrations so farmers can see the benefits of using biochar, to develop this new industry,” he says.

However this is slowly changing as large corporations are purchasing carbon dioxide reduction certificates (CORC’s) to offset their emissions, which is boosting the profile of biochar in Australia.

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Chevron’s self-described world’s biggest CCS project saw it capturing and injecting carbon dioxide under an island off Western Australia, however, it failed to meet requirements to capture at least 80 per cent of emissions from a gas reservoir over the first five years of the Gorgon liquefied natural gas (LNG) development.

Climate campaigners believe the company should be heavily fined for this shortfall, and Western Australian environment minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said she had called a meeting with Chevron “to seek an explanation of how the company intends to address the issue”.

Related article: World-first Carbon Industry Code of Conduct now operational

Chevron Australia, which operates the Gorgon facility on behalf of partners including Shell and ExxonMobil, said it was “poised to reach a significant milestone” of injecting 5 million tonnes of greenhouse gas more than 2km beneath Barrow Island since sequestration began in August 2019.

“The road hasn’t always been smooth, but the challenges we’ve faced and overcome make it easier for those who aspire to reduce their emissions through CCS,” Chevron Australia boss Mark Hatfield said.

Hatfield said the company would work with the WA regulator on how to “make up the shortfall” and planned to release a report on the issue later this year.

Ian Porter, a former oil and gas industry executive who now chairs the advocacy group Sustainable Energy Now WA, said the report was likely to find the project had captured only 30 per cent of its carbon target.

“It’s a shocking failure of one of the world’s largest engineering projects,” Porter said.

“Chevron needs to face significant fines and be forced to offset the more than six million tonnes of unauthorised legacy carbon dioxide releases.

“I sincerely hope CCS does work one day. Ultimately, we need it. But until that time, it is reckless and disingenuous for the industry to keep pretending that it can expand operations and reach net zero.”

Related article: Oil and gas industry lobbies for blue hydrogen

Data shows the Gorgon facility has twice breached its initial emissions limit under the safeguard mechanism, a federal government policy that was promised to cap industrial carbon pollution but has allowed continued increases.

When the scheme started in 2016-17, Gorgon’s annual emissions baseline was 8.34m tonnes of CO2.

It released 9.02m tonnes in 2017-18 and 8.97m tonnes in 2018-19, the most recent year for which data is available. Rather than be penalised for the breaches, it was allowed to set a new baseline calculated across a three-year period.

Separate official data from the Clean Energy Regulator shows Chevron was responsible for more than 10.2m tonnes of CO2 in 2019-20, making it Australia’s eighth-biggest emitter.

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This is a key milestone in the new Prediction and Verification of Shallow CO₂ Migration Project. Its aim is to better understand how CO₂ behaves around a geological fault, when CO₂ is injected and stored deep underground.

The project is being managed jointly between CO2CRC and Geoscience Australia. It involves five of Australia’s leading research institutions as well as international researchers and industry partners.

Two shallow observation wells were installed in late February. A special drill was used to obtain long cylinders of rock, known as core. This core will now be analysed along with formation evaluation logs, to appraise the site and design the CO₂ injection location and monitoring program.

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The next phase, planned for early 2021, will see the injection of between 10 and 40 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the deepest well (approximately 126 metres) and surrounding subsurface. From this test, scientists will observe how carbon dioxide migrates when it meets a fault. The resulting scientific knowledge will be applied in the development of more effective and accurate near surface monitoring techniques for CO₂ storage sites worldwide.

CO2CRC Limited is one of the world’s leading CCS research organisations, having invested more than $100 million in research to deliver better and more cost-effective technologies for CCS. As owner and operator of the Otway Research Facility (registered as an Asset of National Significance by the Australian Government), CO2CRC commissions and undertakes research projects with partners worldwide.

Related article: SA mine to be converted to first compressed air facility

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As the nation’s only research and innovation hub, the CRCLCL is committed to contributing a cumulative reduction in emissions of 10 megatonnes by 2020. Now in its final year of funding, the centre is reportedly on track to meet this target and the forum will showcase the research that has contributed to this ambition being realised.

Related article: APPEA chief executive resigns

Topics include: Urban Heat Island mitigation to cool our cities; Blockchain technology for solar energy sharing and pricing; low-carbon tourism; the world-first trial of geopolymer concrete ocean barricades; low-carbon schools and precincts; suggested changes to the National Construction Code; low-carbon construction materials; cool roofs for large buildings; energy efficient pool pumps; wastewater treatment; and engaging communities to take action.

International speakers are: Professor Brian Collins, professor of Engineering Policy at University College London and Director of the International Centre for Infrastructure Futures; and Professor Ivo Martinac – Professor and chair, Building Services and Energy Systems KTH Royal Institute of Technology Sweden. Both will share their expert knowledge and experience on delivering low to zero carbon urban environments from a policy and practice perspective.

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Australian keynote speakers are: The Hon Mark Butler, MP – Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy and Labor Member for Port Adelaide; The Hon David Speirs MP – SA Minister for Environment and Water South Australian and State Member for Black ; Dr Jemma Green – Co-founder and chair of Power Ledger; and Richard Turner of SIMEC ZEN Energy.

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CHGT-14 will highlight advances in CCS in Australia as well as developments in the whole Asia-Pacific region. This includes the Yangchuan project in China, and the Tomakomai/Osaki CoolGen and the Ministry of Environment Sustainable CCS projects in Japan. It will also aim to provide information on R&D developments in rapidly expanding economies like Indonesia.

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Currently, the CEFC Act prohibits the CEFC from investing in CCS technologies, nuclear technology or nuclear power.

CCS prevents carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere when fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas are used.

The process captures CO₂ at a power station or industrial facility such as a steel, LNG or cement plant and stores it in deep underground geological structures.

The Federal Parliament Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee has recommended the Clean Energy Finance Corporation Act 2012 (CEFC Act) be amended to allow investment in the CCS technologies.

“The committee supports amending the CEFC Act to remove the prohibition on the CEFC investing in CCS technologies as proposed by this bill,” Senator Jonathon Duniam said in the committee’s report.

“Fundamentally, the committee supports the bill because it considers the public interest would be better served by a more technology-neutral approach to energy policy.

“CCS is a proven low-emission technology. In the committee’s view, the prohibition on the CEFC investing in CCS technologies is arbitrary and inappropriate given the expert advice that a wide range of technologies is needed to achieve the emissions reductions required under the Paris Agreement.

“A more technology-neutral approach to the CEFC Act will ensure that the widest possible range of cost-effective low-emission solutions can be considered by the CEFC, noting that it would still be for the CEFC to decide, independent of government and with commercial rigour, whether to invest in any suitable projects involving CCS.”

In its submission to the inquiry, the Global CCS Institute highlighted existing international CCS projects and argued that additional projects are needed to address emission reduction targets.

“CCS is already curbing greenhouse gas emissions around the globe, with more than 220mn tonnes of anthropogenic carbon dioxide safely and permanently injected deep underground,” the submission said.

“There are currently 17 large-scale CCS facilities operating globally, with five more in development.

“These facilities are capturing and storing 37 million tonnes of CO₂ per annum, the equivalent of removing eight million cars from the road each year.

“However, this is not enough. To make deep, rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and meet Paris climate change targets at least cost, CCS must be deployed swiftly and at scale.”

The Australia Institute argued in its submission to the inquiry that CCS technologies “are not low-emission”.

“[CCS technologies] do not reduce the emissions being produced by the energy source,” the submission said.

“Rather, they use significant energy, itself a source of emissions, to capture and store some of the emissions from the plant, rather than reducing them.

“The ultimate effectiveness of CCS in reducing the quantity of greenhouse emissions that enter the atmosphere relies on long-term monitoring of any location used to sequester the emissions.”

The Minerals Council of Australia welcomed the recommendation the Bill be passed by Parliament.

“CCS is not an experimental technology, with leading examples in North America already operating in conjunction with coal-fired generation,” MCA executive director Greg Evans said.

“The addition of a technology-neutral approach to the CEFC ambit will strengthen Australia’s capacity to achieve lower emissions at lowest cost and remove a distortion introduced during the creation of the CEFC.

“Australians want power that has 24/7 availability with reduced emissions and is affordable, safe, secure and reliable, which can be offered by coal through commercially-available HELE technologies able to cut CO₂ emissions of coal-fired generation by up to 40 per cent compared with the oldest technology in place.

“Coal now has an even lower emissions pathway, with further reductions in emissions by up to 90 per cent through the addition of CCS.”

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