Experts at an international workshop on "Carbon Sequestration
- Pathway to a Sustainable Future for Fossil Fuels in a Carbon Constrained
World" convened by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
(UNECE) in Geneva last week agreed that urgent action is needed now to reduce
global atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, not only from
the perspective of mitigating the potential risk of human induced climate
change, but also to avoid the dangers threatening some important marine organisms
through increasing CO2 content in marine surface waters as a response
to escalating CO2 levels in the atmosphere.
A number of reports indicate that global CO2 emissions
should be reduced by over 60%, by 2050, merely to stabilize the atmosphere
at the present raised CO2 levels. This objective needs to be achieved
against an anticipated rise in global energy demand of around 70% over the
next two decades, much of it fossil-fuel based.
In recognising that fossil fuels will continue to dominate
the global and the European energy mix for several decades, the workshop also
focused on international research and development projects aimed at bringing
CO2 capture and storage forward as a key means of abating the emissions
associated with the use of fossil fuels.
During the workshop a panel of key experts reported on their
organization's activities in the area of CO2 capture and storage:
Mr. Alain BILL, Head - CO2 and Climate
Change Programme, ALSTOM Switzerland Ltd (also representing the International
Energy Agency's Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme [IEAGHG]) outlined the activities
of IEAGHG, which has initiated and sponsored a number of projects
dealing with the capture, transport and underground storage of CO2
in several OECD countries. The IEAGHG plays an essential and pivotal role
in bringing together international collaboration and information on these
emerging technological applications.
Mr. Tore TORP, Project Manager, Statoil Research
Centre, Norway, provided a comprehensive description of Statoil's
successful underground "Sleipner" storage operation in the Norwegian Sector
of the North Sea, where CO2 stripped from natural gas production
is re-injected into a saline aquifer. Over six million tonnes of CO2,
that otherwise would have entered the atmosphere, have been safely stored
in a layer of sandstone (the Utsira Sand Formation) nearly one km below the
seabed. Statoil also revealed a new, recently commissioned, project (Snøhvit),
which will involve underground CO2 storage and supply from hydrocarbon
operations in the Norwegian Sea. Statoil is also considering using CO2
to enhance oil recovery from depleting oil fields in the North Sea. Mr. Torp
clearly made the point that many gas fields yet to be developed in Asia have
high natural CO2 concentrations that will have to be addressed
if the gas is to be produced and supplied to consumers.
Mr. Pierre DECHAMPS, Manager, Energy R&D Programme,
European Commission DG RTD, described the Commission's important
role in funding CO2 capture and storage research since the early
1990s through to the present. The Commission has been ahead of many national
governments in recognising the importance of developing CO2 capture
and storage technologies and is continuing to take the lead with The Sixth
Framework Programme (FP6) 2002-2006. FP6 will provide an important opportunity
for research institutes, and industry, to develop integrated projects. The
Commission wishes to see the establishment of a European Research Facility
(Network of Excellence) on CO2 capture and storage. Mr. Dechamps
also highlighted that reductions of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across
the European Union as a response to the EU-15's recent ratification of the
Kyoto Protocol would not be the same for each member State, indeed, according
to the burden sharing agreement some States, e.g. Greece, will be allowed
to increase emissions. This means that some States in the EU will need to
reduce emissions, within the first commitment period, in excess of the Kyoto
Protocol target.
Mr. Charles SCHMIDT, Director - Clean Air Technology
Division, US Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory,
USA, provided a detailed overview of President George Bush's "Carbon
Sequestration" Program. It has very ambitious goals to reduce the cost of
CO2 capture and develop new technologies. Particularly important
to the USA is the role of coal in electricity production, hence the Program
has a strong emphasis on clean coal technologies and CO2 capture,
especially in the area of cost reduction and efficiency gains. The key goals
of the Program were identified, notably: to provide economically competitive
and environmentally safe options to offset projected growth in baseline emissions
of GHGs by the USA after 2010; to sequester carbon at a cost of $10 per ton
of avoided carbon; and to provide technology to offset at least half of the
required reductions in global GHGs.
Mr. Hans-Joachim ZIOCK, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA, emphasized the urgent
need to address the continuing exponential rise in global CO2 emissions.
Mr. Ziock developed a compelling argument in support of achieving zero emissions
to atmosphere, or even negative emissions, as soon as possible and the need
to go far beyond the Kyoto Protocol targets. He further maintained that the
OECD countries have the economic resources to develop the technology needed
to achieve this position and must take the lead if the developing world is
to enjoy the benefits that modern energy supplies can bring, and avoid a possible
ten fold rise in CO2 emissions this century. Emphasis was given
on the need to provide secure CO2 storage, with Ziock's ideal goal
being that of permanent sequestration by binding CO2 with rock
minerals to form mineral carbonates.
For further information, please contact:
Ms Charlotte Griffiths
Economic Affairs Officer, Sustainable Energy Division
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Palais des Nations, Office 349
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0) 22 917 1988
Fax: +41 (0) 22 917 0038
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.unece.org/energy/nrghome.html
Ref. ECE/ENE/02/06