North Sea has potential to store all Europe's waste say researchers

Published Date: 01 May 2009
By Jenny Haworth
Environment Correspondent

THE North Sea could store the carbon dioxide from all Europe's power stations for hundreds of years, the results of major research to be unveiled today will reveal.
The Scotsman has learned that the porous rocks beneath the seabed of the North Sea and disused oil and gas fields could provide storage for millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide.The research, by Edinburgh University, is likely to herald the start of a major new industry for Scotland, using the North Sea to lead the way in efforts to store the greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. It will bring the possibility of compressed emissions being transported from power plants across Europe to underground stores beneath the North Sea using the network of pipes already in place for the oil and gas industry one step closer. It will be the first time it has been shown the porous rocks – known as saline aquifers – beneath the seabed have the potential to store mass quantities of . "We will be able to conclusively say we can store it in saline aquifers for hundreds of years," a source told The Scotsman."This will be a huge opportunity for Scotland. It could create a huge new industry for Scotland."Professor Stuart Haszeldine, a world expert in carbon capture and storage at Edinburgh University, has been leading the eagerly-awaited research into the potential of the North Sea to store the greenhouse gas.The Scotsman revealed last week that the research was due to be published. ScottishPower has already announced it is hoping to start capturing carbon within five years in Scotland, making use of the potential to store it beneath the North Sea.The energy company is taking part in a UK government competition to win funding to kit out Longannet, a coal-fired power station, with the technology to capture carbon.The power firm is hoping to become a world leader in the field, developing technology that could be used on thousands of fossil-fuel power stations around the globe. A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government last night said there would be a "significant announcement related to carbon capture and storage" today .First Minister Alex Salmond will join scientists to spell out the potential consequences of the research at a press conference at Edinburgh Castle this morning .The Scottish Government, which has ruled out new nuclear power stations, is relying on "clean" fossil fuel plants to provide back-up power to support the development of renewables.Known as carbon capture and storage (CCS), the technology would enable up to 90 per cent of to be captured from fossil-fuel power plants. This would mean coal could continue to be burned to provide power without scuppering the government's ability to meet challenging climate change targets.The Scottish Government must cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.Dr Dan Barlow, head of policy at WWF Scotland said in advance of today's announcement: "Scotland has the potential to take a global lead on carbon capture technology. "In addition to being home to a number of existing pollution-generating power stations, Scotland has access to potentially significant carbon storage reservoirs in the North Sea."Along with maximising Scotland's huge renewable energy potential and improving energy efficiency, ending the use of unabated coal or gas power stations will be critical in helping Scotland meet its future climate targets."Last week, the UK government announced only power stations with clean-coal technology would be permitted in the future. The government predicted a "new future for the North Sea industry" due to the abundance of offshore storage sites.

GREEN TECHNOLOGY to capture carbon dioxide from coal and gas power stations has not yet been used on a commercial scale.However, it has been shown to work in the laboratory and using demonstration models.Companies across the UK and in other parts of the world are competing to become the first to develop the technology.Last week, the government announced that permission would not be given for new, traditional fossil-fuel power stations. This has paved the way for the UK to become a world leader in the field of carbon capture.The government predicts the cost of carbon capture will see consumers having to pay a new levy of 2 per cent on their gas bills. This would average about £8 a year for each household.