Carbon capture coal tech must be ready by 2019: U.S.

According to Reuters, “A technology to bury underground the greenhouse gas emissions produced from burning coal must be ready for global deployment by 2017-2019, U.S. energy secretary Steven Chu said on Monday.

Coal is the world’s single biggest source of carbon emissions, at 40 percent. Other sources included burning oil and natural gas, and deforestation and the production of cement.

Chu was optimistic about the prospects for carbon capture and storage (CCS), even though no commercial-scale plant is being built yet anywhere. He said that the United States could have 10 demonstration plants online by 2016.

Most analysts do not expect the technology to be widely available before 2020 at the earliest.

Steven Chu

“I believe we must make it our goal to advance carbon capture and storage technology to the point where widespread, affordable deployment can begin in eight to 10 years,” Chu said in a letter to energy ministers gathered in London to promote global collaboration, and where Chu would speak on Monday.

Carbon capture technology is widely considered to be vital because high-carbon coal is one of the world’s cheapest and most available sources of energy, making it unlikely the world can simply stop burning it.”

Source: Reuters