Commission gives first nod to CCS project

The European Commission has adopted its first opinion on a member state draft permit for a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. The storage site is situated on the Dutch continental shelf. Although it is not the first project in the EU to incorporate both carbon capture and storage, it is the first on which the commission has adopted an opinion, as required by the 2009 CCS directive. The opinion, which confirms the suitability of the chosen storage location, is non-binding. It is now is up to the Dutch authorities to issue the final permit. The project, a joint venture between Eon Benelux and GDF Suez subsidiary Electrabel, was awarded €180m of funding under the European Energy Programme for Recovery (EEPR). It involves the construction of a 1070-megawatt coal and biomass power plant with a post-combustion carbon capture system bolted on to a 250MW section.