International Energy Agency Seeks Action On Clean Coal Technology

London, Dec. 27, GNA - The International Energy Agency (IEA) has called for an urgent action in support of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS), the technology that aids clean coal use.

It noted that this was necessary as in 2017, the CCUS development made 'important strides'.

The IEA recalled the commissioning of the Petra Nova Carbon Capture project in the US, the largest CCUS project in the world applied to a coal-fired power generation plant, noting that this was 'an important step forward'.

'However, the progress on CCUS is lagging far behind other low carbon technologies,' the IEA said in its Coal 2017 report.

'There is a broad agreement among energy leaders from both the governments and the industry that urgent action is needed to support CCUS.

'Without CCUS, the climate challenge will be much bigger.

'This is why the IEA, together with countries and industry leaders is working to give a new momentum to this essential technology.

'Indeed, without CCUS, coal use will be seriously constrained in the future,' the report added.

To back its support for clean coal use, the IEA organised a global CCUS meeting in Paris where more than 20 countries and CEOs of the world's top energy companies discussed the technology in the presence of US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry and IEA Executive Director Dr Fatih Birol.

'This serves as a critical reminder why technologies like CCUS are so important, and why governments and companies need to step up their policy support and investments in that sector in order to meet global climate goals,' Keisuke Sadamori, Director of Energy markets and security for the IEA, told journalists.

'Indeed, without CCUS, coal use will be seriously constrained in the future,' he added.

African governments are keen to utilise CCUS to make the most of the continent's 50 billion coal reserves to provide power for a region where over 600 million people lack access to electricity.

This, they argue, will enable African countries to provide jobs and ultimately lift people out of poverty.

Looking at the demand for coal use globally, the IEA has again indicated that there would be a rise, although it noted that in the case of in India, demand would fall by half.

The picture of a rising coal demand, even after adjustments for slower-than-expected growth, fits into a pattern of IEA forecasts over recent years, according to Carbon Brief, a UK-based website covering the latest developments in climate science, climate policy and energy policy.

'Since 2011, the IEA has consistently forecast rising coal demand, even as it has repeatedly adjusted its figures downwards in light of lower-than-expected growth.

'Some analysts believe the agency remains behind the curve in its outlook for coal,' Carbon Brief added.

GNA
By Desmond Davies London Bureau