Davies delight at CCS go-ahead

Britain could be the site for three pilot carbon capture and storage plants after European governments agreed to invest up to six billion euros in the development of clean coal technology.

Proposals from the European Commission for carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration projects have been accepted in Brussels.

It is the largest scheme of its kind in the world.

Rochdale Euro-MP Chris Davies is celebrating victory after he introduced the idea of securing funding for the work from the sale of surplus carbon dioxide (CO2) allowances, and took key legislation through the European Parliament in 2008.

CCS removes CO2 from coal or gas used in power stations and industrial plants for permanent burial deep underground.

It is regarded as one of the main hopes for reducing the huge quantities of CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere.

Up to 12 large-scale demonstration plants will be in operation by 2015, and up to three of them are likely to be built in Britain.

Mr Davies said: “It took just three months for prime ministers to accept the principle of the funding mechanism I proposed, but it has taken 13 months to gain approval for the details.

“Europe says it wants to lead the world in the development of ‘green’ technology but we will only do that if we speed up our decision-taking process.”

He claimed that Britain was ideally placed for CCS development, with huge coal reserves and CO2 storage sites beneath the North Sea.

The Government has already announced that it intends to introduce a levy on electricity bills to pay for the UK’s share of the cost of developing CCS plants.