Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute

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{{#Badges: CoalSwarm|Climate change}}The Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute was announced in September 2008 as a global initiative by the Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd and the Resources Minister, Martin Ferguson.

The announcement

In a presentation to a meeting of industry representatives in Canberra, Rudd and Ferguson announced that they would commit $A100 million per annum to the costs of a global institute to develop Carbon Capture and Storage projects. The media statement announced that the institute, which Australia was offering to host, would "aim to accelerate carbon projects through facilitating demonstration projects and identifying and supporting necessary research - including regulatory settings and regulatory frameworks." Rudd and Ferguson announced that the proposed institute would be the subject of discussions with other governments and industry with a view to facilitating the "commercial deployment" of CCS "across the world by the end of the next decade."

They also stated that a bill before the parliament would establish a regulatory framework for CO2 storage under the seabed in Commonwealth waters" and that, once passed, would allow the government "to offer the first carbon storage blocks for commercial development in early 2009."

In his speech announcing the project, Rudd stated that "climate change is a threat for the future. It is a threat also for the future of our coal industry in Australia. Not enough is being done globally on this." Rudd also flagged the intention for the institute to be operational in January 2009.

Rudd outlined four reasons for proposing the institute. They were:

• "Firstly to make sure that we can facilitate those projects in reality by in part assisting with the organisation and finance for them, ideally through private consortia but leaving open the possibility of public participation as well";

• "The second is to ensure that we have a dedicated and integrated research capacity. There is so much going on around the world which is not coordinated, it’s time this was brought under a single roof. That is, for Australia to be the go-to place globally for information about how you do carbon capture and storage projects";

• "Third thing is to make sure that we’re also the go-to place on regulatory and legislative questions ... And around the world the big debate at the moment (inaudible) what sort of regulation and legislation you need for on-shore and off-shore storage to make these projects work."

• "And finally, communication. To get all the information on where projects are, how they could be financed, what the technology is, what the science is, and what the regulatory information is and how it can be deployed, making sure that is disseminated across the world."

The Minister for Resources, Energy and Tourism, Martin Ferguson, noted that the discussions with the industry prior to the media conference included electricity generators and "key coal industry companies such as Xstrata, BHP and Rio Tinto." Recognising the widespread criticism of CCS by environmental groups, Ferguson sought to enlist some third party legitimacy. Ferguson said that "we also received absolute support from the scientific community, representatives of the environmental non government organisations such as the WWF, the Climate Institute and also key representatives of the labour force working in these activities such as the CFMEU and the AWU."

Reaction

In response to the announcement, Australian Greens Senator Christine Milne, said that "the coal industry should be paying for its own research," she said."The coal industry has made mega profits for many, many generations at the expense of the atmosphere, and now we are all paying for that." In her media release she pointed out the lack of any announcement for major funding for anything but coal. "Where is the $100 million fund to make Australia's world leading solar researchers a global knowledge hub? Where are the half a billion dollar funds to roll out solar thermal power stations, ocean power stations and geothermal demonstration plants? All of these are ready and able to provide vast quantities of base-load power well before a single coal power plant using geosequestration can be built," she said.

The Minerals Council of Australia, the peak mining industry lobby group, welcomed the announcement as did the CSIRO. The Victorian government made a grant of $25,000 to the Latrobe City Council for the development of a business plan to locate the the GCCSI in the Larobe Valley.

Preparing for the Official Launch of the Institute

Following Rudd's announcement, the government's of Norway and the United Kingdom announced their support for the project.Masdar, the energy project of Abu Dhabi, has also agreed to become a founding member of the institute, as did The Climate Group and Anglo American

It was reported in late January 2009 that the institute, to be based in Canberra, would be formally launched in February 2009 and that it would be headed by Nick Otter, who had previously worked for the UK power company Alstom Power. It was also that a deputy at the Institute would be Dayle Seymour on secondment from the Victorian Department of Primary Industries. South Korea has sldo agreed to support the project. Other supporters include Shell International, Alstom Power, Mitsubishi, Rio Tinto Services Petroliers Schlumberger, Xstrata and the William J. Clinton Foundation. The Boston Consulting Group has been hired to develop a business plan for the institute.

Articles and resources

Related SourceWatch articles

• Accra Climate Change Talks 2008
• Australia and Post-Kyoto Protocol negotiations on greenhouse gas emissions
• Clean Development Mechanism
• COP14
• COP15
• Emissions Trading
• Joint Implementation
• Kyoto Protocol
• The Australian Labor Party's 2007 Election Campaign Climate Change Policies
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

External articles

• Kevin Rudd and Martin Ferguson, "Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute", Press Conference with the Minister for Resources, Energy and Tourism, Martin Ferguson Prime Minister's Courtyard Parliament House, Canberra, September 19, 2008.
• Lenore Taylor, "Billion dollars from federal government to clean up coal", The Australian, January 29, 2009.

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