North Sea could store 100 years worth of carbon dioxide

More than 100 years' worth of carbon dioxide emissions from UK power stations could be stored under the North Sea instead of being released into the atmosphere, Ed Miliband, Minister for Energy and Climate Change has claimed.

By Louise Gray, Environment CorrespondentPublished: 4:16PM BST 25 Sep 2009
Underwater geological formations have the potential to store CO2 captured from power stations and transported to the sites under the process known as carbon capture and storage (CCS).
It is hoped the process, which has not been tested at scale, could massively reduce emissions from fossil fuels, which continue to provide the lion's share of electricity generation worldwide.

It could also prove to be a massive industry for the UK, replacing North Sea Oil.
To encourage investment in research and development, London is to host a meeting of energy and environment ministers from 23 countries in October.
The Energy Department is also launching a consultation today proposing how exploration, development and management of potential sites can be carried out safely and effectively.
Ed Miliband, the UK Energy Minister, said it could help tackle climate change.
"There's enough potential under the North Sea to store more than 100 years worth of CO2 emissions from the UK's power fleet," he said.
"We are also working closely with Norway and other North Sea Basin countries to ensure the North Sea fulfils its potential in the deployment of CCS in Europe.
"We want to get the UK regulatory framework in place so we can harness that potential and make the North Sea part of the CCS revolution."
He warned that without CCS, which could cut up to 90 per cent of emissions from fossil-fuelled power plants such as coal-fired stations, there was no solution to climate change.