IEA Starts Carbon Capture Workshop

The International Energy Agency (IEA) June 13 began a two-day workshop to discuss opportunities to accelerate commercial deployment of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS).

It brings together leading experts and key stakeholders across government, industry, NGOs and the financial community to consider innovative policy approaches and new business models, and builds on themes and priorities discussed at the high-level CCUS summit held in November 2017 co-chaired by US energy secretary Rick Perry and IEA executive director Fatih Birol.  A US study is under preparation.

The IEA’s Tracking Clean Energy Progress, showed that CCUS (or CCS) in power and industry are both well off-track, with the current carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture rate less than 4% of what is needed by 2030. The IEA notes that in 2016 CCUS accounted for 0.1% of global investment in low-carbon energy, and that since 2010 the pipeline of such projects under development has halved. Explaining the lack of progress in the sector to date, BP chief economist Spencer Dale said June 13 that unlike other green technology, such as renewable energy, CCS did not receive any subsidies.

Later this year in Edinburgh, Birol and the UK energy/clean growth junior minister Claire Perry will co-host an International CCUS Summit to try to put CCUS back on the global energy and climate agenda.

Meanwhile Shell climate adviser David Hone has said he is encouraged at CCUS's inclusion in the work of the Clean Energy Ministerial meeting, held last month in Copenhagen.