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Global CCS Institute Statement on the New Industrial Strategy for Europe
Global CCS Institute Statement on the New Industrial Strategy for Europe

11th March 2020

The Global CCS Institute welcomes the new European Industrial Strategy released by the European Commission. The strategy highlights the important role of industry, with emphasis on energy-intensive sectors, in delivering Europe’s ambition of becoming a climate-neutral continent by 2050 at the latest.  The Communication puts forward the Commission’s vision for the future of Europe’s industry and what it must achieve by 2030. It is a starting point laying out the foundations for how Europe and its industries will deliver clean technologies, low-carbon energy vectors, innovation and climate neutral products.

In this proposed new growth strategy for Europe, carbon capture and storage (CCS) has an essential role to play in supporting Europe’s climate ambition and the transformation of key European industries and sectors. In its Communication, the Commission emphasises that the transformation and modernisation of energy-intensive industries “must be a top priority”, given the importance of these sectors for Europe’s economy.

In Europe, CCS can support efforts to deliver deep emission reductions in energy-intensive industries such as cement, chemicals and steel. It also has the ability to lower the carbon footprint of key industrial products.

Following the release of the new Industrial Strategy, Guloren Turan, General-Manager for Advocacy at the Global CCS Institute said:

“The Commission’s new strategy is an important starting point as industries prepare to undergo significant transformation to ensure their transition to climate neutrality. CCS can be an important accelerator and enhancer of deep decarbonisation efforts.  The set of technologies is versatile and has the unique ability to provide significant emission reductions in important European industries including cement and steel. CCS is also an important enabler of clean hydrogen production and should be considered in light of the new proposed European Clean Hydrogen Alliance. The strategy lays important foundations for future industry endeavours. Enabling actions, roadmaps and other levers must now be put in place to accelerate the transition and transformation of industry as well as the deployment of CCS and CO2 infrastructure. We are at a crucial time and to ensure that the solutions, technologies and infrastructure we need will be available, we must put forward the right incentives and policies in place.”

In addition to its two operating large-scale CCS projects, Europe hosts a number of industrial CCS projects that are currently at different stages of development. These projects have the potential to decarbonise cement production, waste-to-energy and hydrogen production.  The development of smart common CO2 transport and storage infrastructure will also be an important element to support industries efforts to decarbonise.

Read the Institute’s recent paper on the European Green Deal here.

Global CCS Institute releases Brief for Policymakers – CCS: Targeting Climate Change
Global CCS Institute releases Brief for Policymakers – CCS: Targeting Climate Change

5th March 2020

Washington, DC – March 5 2020 – The Global CCS Institute, a think tank, has this week released CCS: Targeting Climate Change, a brief for policymakers globally. CCS: Targeting Climate Change summarizes the key findings of the Institute's latestGlobal Status of CCS Report which documents a range of important milestones for CCS, its status across the worldand the key opportunities and benefits the technology presents.  

Global CCS Institute CEO Brad Page emphasized: Policy is key to unlocking investment in CCS and achieving the necessary 100-fold scale-up of CCS to meet net-zero emissions climate goals. As such, this new brief is a concise resource for policymakers globally to further understand the vital role of CCS when formulating policies to target climate change. 

CCS: Targeting Climate Change outlines the benefits of CCS, the urgent need for deployment to scale up and practical ways to support CCS deployment through supportive policy frameworks. It also provides an overview of the role of CCS technologies in the net-zero emissions transition, as well as key progress on CCS and climate action globally.  

There are now 51 large-scale CCS facilities in operation or under development globally in a variety of industries and sectors. These include 19 facilities in operation, four under construction, and 28 in various stages of development. Of all the facilities in operation, 17 are in the industrial sector, and two are power projects.   

The United States is currently leading the way in CCS development and deployment with 24 large-scale facilities, followed by 12 facilities both in Europe and the Asia Pacific region, and three in the Middle East. 

The brief can be downloaded at globalccsinstitute.com     

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Global CCS Institute Statement on the European Climate Law
Global CCS Institute Statement on the European Climate Law

4th March 2020

The Global CCS Institute welcomes Europe’s first-ever Climate Law proposal published today by the European Commission to enshrine the EU climate neutrality objective by 2050 at the latest in EU legislation.  The Institute applauds Europe’s climate ambition and the vision put forward by the European Green Deal.

The EU 2050 climate-neutrality objective can only be achieved by reducing and avoiding emissions at existing sources as well as enhancing emission removal. Therefore, a wide portfolio of climate mitigation solutions and technologies, including carbon capture and storage (CCS), will be needed to deliver on this ambition.

CCS technologies and projects will have an important role to play to deliver large-scale carbon removal and address emissions in the most challenging sectors and at large-scale industrial sources. This set of technologies will be essential to deliver the clean energy transition for key industrial sectors and delivering net-zero and in the future negative emissions. It will also be a crucial technology to ensure a just transition for communities and industry.

Speaking about the announcement, Guloren Turan, General-Manager for Advocacy at the Global CCS Institute said:

“The EU’s proposed climate law is an important step forward in EU’s climate policy. CCS has an important role as an emissions reduction and carbon removal technology. The technology can help drive Europe towards its climate neutrality target. With the proposed target, incentivising emission removal becomes increasingly important. Therefore, there is a need to establish strong policies and measures at the European level to advance both natural and technological carbon removal.”

There are currently two large-scale CCS projects operating in Europe and an additional four in various stages of development. The next wave of European CCS projects touches a number of key industries of strategic importance for Europe’s economy and aim to use shared CO2 transport and storage infrastructure. The development of this infrastructure will be key to decarbonise a multitude of industrial sectors as well as bring the technology costs down.

The Commission’s proposed law defines the trajectory for greenhouse emission gas reductions at the European level with a review every five years.  The Climate Law will be presented to Environment Ministers tomorrow.

More about European Climate Law

Read the Institute’s recent paper on the European Green Deal

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DC Forum on CCS: Accelerating the next wave of carbon capture and storage
DC Forum on CCS: Accelerating the next wave of carbon capture and storage

3rd March 2020

Washington, DC, USA – Climate and clean energy experts convened in Washington, DC for the ninth annual Forum on carbon capture and storage (CCS) hosted by the Global CCS Institute, a think tank backed by governments and businesses. The United States leads the world’s deployment of large-scale CCS facilities and has enacted the most progressive CCS-specific incentive globally with the 45Q tax credits. Now, the focus is on getting steel in the ground, furthering innovation, and building on this pioneering policy to deliver a comprehensive large-scale deployment framework.  

“The United States has seen significant growth in CCS facilities in planning due to positive policy developments on the state and federal level. Now we need to focus on realizing projects and furthering innovation”, said Brad Page, CEO of the Global CCS Institute. 

The Global CCS Institute identifies and tracks large-scale CCS projects around the world. In late 2019, it added eight US facilities to its CO2RE CCS database. These facilities could boost carbon captured by an additional 20 million tonnes of CO2, according to the think tank’s analysis.  

“Despite a positive outlook in the US, still more must be done. Particularly from a global perspective, US leadership in CCS can bolster global efforts to reduce emissions as well as lead to cost reductions that will make it easier for other countries to access the technology. With a 100-fold scale-up necessary globally, the learnings from the US facilities will be crucial to accelerating the global deployment of CCS”, said Brad Page. 

“The IPCC has identified crucial roles for CCS in both reducing emissions and in carbon dioxide removal. Government, business, and the scientific community should work together to scale up deployment this coming decade to bring costs down and spur additional innovation, said Andrew Steer, CEO, World Resources Institute during his keynote remarks. 

At the forum, experts discussed three key areas to advance CCS deployment in North America including creating diverse support for the technologies and increased climate ambition, enabling access to geologic storage hubs and improving financing conditions. Innovators also presented new technologies aiming to innovate solutions across the carbon capture, utilization, and storage value chain.  

“Shell views carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a critical technology for society to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. We are involved with a number of CCS projects, one of which being our large-scale Canadian CCS venture known as Quest, which has captured more than 4 million tonnes of COsince 2015.  We believe collaboration with both public and private stakeholders has played, and will continue to play, a significant role in the success of CCS,” said keynote speaker Jason Klein, VP US Energy Transition Strategy, Shell.  

Safe, secure geologic storage hubs which provide multiple industrial and energy-intensive facilities access to CO2 transport infrastructure are a key characteristic of the next wave of CCS facilities. Geologic storage hubs offer risk reductions and economies of scale, making it attractive for further participants to enter CCS projects. In fact, the Global CCS Institute added six facilities connected to CarbonSAFE, a DOE initiative aimed at developing storage sites able to store more than 50 million tonnes per annum of CO2.  

Financing conditions have also been a key barrier to CCS deployment in the past. Perceived and actual risk by banks made idifficult for facilities to secure affordable financing. However, in the US, interest from financial institutions is ramping up. Banks are becoming increasingly open to financing well-designed projects while policy levers, such as 45Q and the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard, have drawn financiers into the sector.  

At the Forum, participants also heard from a variety of technology, CO2 utilization, and direct air capture companies working to revolutionize the space. “With the pressing need for further innovation both on the technical side and with regards to business models, it is welcome that we are seeing more actors entering the space as climate ambition speeds up”, said Mr. Page.  

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Global CCS Institute Welcomes New Chair of the Board
Global CCS Institute Welcomes New Chair of the Board

3rd March 2020

Melbourne, Australia - The Global CCS Institute, an international think tank backed by governments, industry, financial institutions and academia, announced today the appointment of a new Chair of the Board.

Mr Philip Bainbridge, non-executive Chairman of the Papua New Guinea Sustainable Development Program and non-executive Director of Beach Energy, has been elected to succeed Mr Claude Mandil following his retirement as Chair of both the Board of Directors and the Board Selection Panel. Mr Bainbridge’s appointment is effective from 1st March 2020.

Mr Bainbridge previously served as Chairman of Sino Gas and Energy Holdings Ltd. He spent 23 years at BP Group in various senior management and leadership roles including petroleum engineering, development and commercial positions. From 2006 he worked at Oil Search initially as the Chief Operating Officer and then as the Executive General Manager LNG.

Mr Bainbridge was initially appointed as a Director of the Institute’s Board in February 2019.  Speaking on his recent appointment as Chairman, Mr Bainbridge said: “I believe that carbon capture and storage is a fundamental component in reducing emissions to mitigate climate change. The Institute has a strong global reputation as a centre of excellence and advocacy. I am honoured to be a part of the Institute and thank Claude Mandil and the Board for this opportunity.”

Brad Page, CEO of the Global CCS Institute said: “I would like to thank Mr Mandil for his significant contribution to the Institute during his tenure as Chairman of the Board. We are delighted to welcome Mr Bainbridge during this time of growth for the Institute. His experience and expertise will be a major benefit to the work of the Board and the Institute.”

In addition to the new Chair of the Board, Mr Bainbridge, the Institute’s Board of Directors includes:

  • David Hone, Group Climate Change Adviser, Shell International (United Kingdom);
  • Sumie Nakayama, Senior Advisor, Climate Change, J-POWER (Japan);
  • Eric Redman, Thunderbolt Clean Energy CEO (United States of America);
  • Cynthia Wang, Client Advisor, Bridgewater Associates (China);
  • Dr Fiona Wild, Vice President, Sustainability and Climate Change, BHP (Australia).

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Diverse support for Carbon Capture and Storage picks up speed globally
Diverse support for Carbon Capture and Storage picks up speed globally

29th January 2020

Over the past six months, the Global CCS Institute has welcomed 12 new members from the industrial, financial and energy sectors signaling strong renewed momentum for carbon capture and storage (CCS) globally. These organisations join a global network of leading corporations, energy and infrastructure companies, governments and research institutes united by a shared vision to accelerate the deployment of CCS, a vital technology to tackle climate change and deliver climate neutrality.

The continued growth of the Institute’s membership reflects the growing interest in CCS around the world in a wide number of industries and sectors. New members joining the Institute include:

Europe

  • BP, a global energy company with operations in Europe, North and South America, Australasia, Asia and Africa;
  • C-Capture, UK-based clean energy company and designer of chemical processes for carbon dioxide removal;
  • HeidelbergCement, one of the world's largest building materials companies;
  • HSBC, one of the world’s largest banking and financial services institutions;
  • Motor Oil Hellas, a petroleum refining and trading company based in Greece;

North America

  • Cemvita Factory, a US-based company and developer of a CO2 utilisation platform;
  • IPA Global, a leading capital projects advisory firm;
  • Wolf Midstream, a Canadian energy infrastructure company that has built and will operate the CO2 pipeline for the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line project;

Asia

  • China Petroleum Engineering Co., Ltd., a company based in Beijing specialising in engineering for the energy, manufacturing, and construction industries;
  • CNPC Research Institute of Safety and Environment Technology (RISE), the research institute of the China National Petroleum Corporation;
  • Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd, a global cement manufacturer;

Australia

  • Woodside Energy, Australia’s largest natural gas producer and a pioneer of LNG in Australia.

The addition of these organisations further diversifies the Institute’s membership across geographies and industries.  The Institute now has 68 Members located across five continents.

In line with the progress of CCS deployment around the world, this wave of new members is a testament that a variety of stakeholders are recognising the important role of CCS in climate mitigation efforts. The Institute believes that together they have a powerful role to play in supporting the deployment of CCS by building and mobilising expertise, finance and knowledge.

Global CCS Institute CEO Brad Page said: “The Institute is thrilled to welcome its newest members, each leaders in their respective fields and industries. Over the past year, the pipeline of large-scale CCS facilities is continuing to grow due to sustained government support and more ambitious climate plans to address emissions in energy-intensive and hard-to-abate sectors. As environmental, social and governance considerations gain momentum and become an integral part of investment decision-making, CCS will also play an important role as companies and institutional investors assess and take steps to address climate-related risks and explore new opportunities to avoid physical and transition risks.”

This new wave of members brings HSBC, the first global commercial bank to join the Institute. The organisation is actively looking at the role of CCS in decarbonisation strategies across the energy and industrial sectors, in order to be at the forefront of financing the transition to a low-carbon economy. The Institute has also welcomed two cement manufacturers to its network, an industry looking at deploying CCS to cut carbon emissions in cement production.

The Institute believes that this growing membership brings the opportunity for increased global collaboration and growing knowledge-sharing opportunities which will help further CCS deployment around the world. The Institute works on behalf of its Members to build knowledge, shift the narrative and enable investment.

More information on the Institute’s work and membership here.  See a full list of the Institute's membership here.

Statement on the European Green Deal
Statement on the European Green Deal

12th December 2019

The Global CCS Institute welcomes the release of the European Green Deal which puts forward ambitious policies underpinning a comprehensive vision for a climate neutral Europe by 2050. This plan underlines the major transformation required by industry in the next five years and the need to scale up climate ambition across various sectors including energy and finance.

The Commission’s ambitious plan also underlines the important role of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) as a breakthrough technology that will help deliver a green and sustainable EU industry. The plan rightly emphasizes the need to develop smart infrastructure for CCS, a key element in the deployment of the technology. In Europe, several CCS projects will be using shared infrastructure for CO2 transportation and storage. This common infrastructure will help drive down unit costs across the CCS value chain. Some of the industrial regions planning for CCS cluster development include Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Port of Antwerp in Belgium, Teesside and Humber in the UK.

Welcoming the release of Green Deal, Guloren Turan,  the Institute’s General-Manager, Advocacy and Communications said: “With the release of this first communication on the European Green Deal, it is clear that a portfolio of measures, technologies and innovations will be needed to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 in Europe.  CCS can play an important role to support and scale-up CO2 mitigation efforts in energy-intensive industries across Europe and accelerate the production of low-carbon hydrogen to decarbonise key sectors such as heating and transport.  The technology also has the potential to deliver negative emissions. There are several promising European CCS projects under development that will use common CO2 infrastructure, one that could be used by a multiple emitters across Europe. The inclusion of CCS in the European Green Deal is another positive sign, we look forward to working with relevant stakeholders and the Commission to put in place the right supportive environment for the deployment of CCS in Europe.”

There are currently two operating large-scale CCS facilities in Europe, both in Norway. There are an additional 10 large-scale facilities in different stages of development, six in the UK, two in the Netherlands, one in Norway and one in Ireland. When operational, these facilities will capture a total of 20.8 million tonnes of CO2 per year.

Targeting Climate Change: Growing Momentum for Carbon Capture and Storage
Targeting Climate Change: Growing Momentum for Carbon Capture and Storage

9th December 2019

Madrid, Spain - Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has seen growing momentum and increased ambition in 2019. This vital suite of climate change technologies is expected to play a fundamental part in achieving the transition to a net-zero economy and help decarbonize energy-intensive industries globally.

A major report launched by the Global CCS Institute, a think tank, at the UN climate change conference COP25 finds that the deployment of CCS has continued to gather pace, with the pipeline of CCS projects continuing to grow the second year in a row, up 37 per cent since 2017.

Global CCS Institute CEO Brad Page emphasized at the launch of the Global Status of CCS 2019 Report: Targeting Climate Change: “This has been one of the worst years on record for climate. The clock is ticking, the world must act. Global emissions continue to rise, and climate impacts are expected to increase and have very dangerous implications. Bold climate action is needed to keep global warming to 1.5°C. CCS needs to be part of the climate solutions toolbox to tackle this challenge head on”.

There are now 51 large-scale CCS facilities in operation or under development globally in a variety of industries and sectors. These include 19 facilities in operation, four under construction, and 28 in various stages of development. Of all the facilities in operation, 17 are in the industrial sector, and two are power projects.

The United States is currently leading the way in CCS development and deployment with 24 large-scale facilities, followed by 12 facilities both in Europe and the Asia Pacific region, and three in the Middle East.

“Despite this increased momentum and progress in CCS deployment, the number of facilities needs to increase 100-fold by 2040, and scaling efforts are just not happening fast enough”, warns Mr. Page. “Now is the time to rally for greater policy support and for capital to be allocated to build on the positive CCS progress of the past two years”, Mr. Page adds.

Speaking at the report launch at COP25 in Madrid, Dr Julio Friedmann, Senior Research Scholar at the Center for Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, said: “The urgency of climate change and the harsh arithmetic of emissions demand CCUS deployment without delay. Policies that provide clean and durable alignment with markets and support continued innovation, especially expansion into new applications like heavy industry, hydrogen, and CO2 removal, will make or break our future.”

The report shines light on the next wave of CCS projects globally, while also highlighting  the flexibility, applicability and increasingly positive economics of applying CCS to a range of emission sources. The next wave of projects is expected to focus on large-scale abatement, through development of hubs and clusters.  These capture CO2 from multiple industrial installations and use shared infrastructure for the subsequent CO2 transportation and storage to drive down costs.

Commenting on the report, Grantham Institute Chair, Lord Nicholas Stern, said: “We need to change the way we think about climate change as a global challenge, and start to regard it as an opportunity for innovation and growth. Against this backdrop, CCS becomes an ever more vital part of the process for reaching net-zero emissions”.

At the same time, hydrogen is also receiving policy attention not seen for decades around the globe. CCS, as a means to produce clean hydrogen on a large-scale, has gained momentum as part of this renewed interest in hydrogen as a clean energy vector of the future.

“Perhaps the most compelling development in the last 12 months though is that increasingly, CCS is a stand- out technology to genuinely deliver a just transition for many fossil fuel-based communities,” said Mr. Page.

The report features commentary and contributions from a wide range of leaders and influencers who draw on their expertise from across climate change, energy, academia, polar exploration, finance and CCS in voicing their support for the technology.

The report can be downloaded here.


Quotes from the Global Status of CCS: 2019 – Targeting Climate Change:

Brad Page, CEO, Global CCS Institute: "Few clean energy technologies are on track to be deployed at the scale required to meet the Paris climate targets. CCS is resurgent but still lagging while emissions have again risen in the past year. Now is the time to rally for greater policy support and for capital to be allocated to build on the positive CCS progress of the past two years.”

Lord Nicholas Stern, Chairman, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment: “The diversity of its applications is immense; from direct air capture delivering negative emissions, to the ability to prevent infrastructure emissions lock-ins by abating existing infrastructure in the industrial and power sectors, capturing, using and storing carbon will be a vital instrument in reaching net-zero emissions goals.”

Jade Hameister, Australian Polar Explorer and Climate Activist: “My polar expeditions confirmed for me that global warming is an undeniable truth. That is why I call on the political and business leaders to stop arguing and start taking massive action. It’s not about choosing the best technology – it’s about supporting ALL viable technologies and ideas, including carbon capture and storage – that together create a web that seeks to hold global temperature rise to under two degrees Celsius (if that is even still possible).”

Sally Benson, Co-Director, Precourt Institute for Energy; Director, Global Climate & Energy Project; Professor, Energy Resources Engineering Department; Senior Fellow, Precourt Institute for Energy: "As I write this, one hundred kilometers north, 77,000 acres are burning, casting a haze of smoke across the state (…).  Over the last 20 years, the role of carbon capture and storage has evolved from “nice to have,” to “necessary,” and now, CCUS is inevitable. We need Gigaton scale CCUS now.”

Zoë Knight, Managing Director & Group Head, HSBC Centre of Sustainable Finance: “While the flow of funding towards new low-carbon technologies is increasing, it is not happening at the pace that is needed. As with renewables when they were in early stages of deployment, targeted public sector signals of support for the industry would help accelerate the market for CCS.”

Deepika Nagabhushan, Program Director, Decarbonized Fossil Energy, Clean Air Task Force: “CCUS will not only play an important role in fulfilling above commitments, but also help meeting even bolder goals that will include decarbonizing industrial emissions and leveraging zero-carbon fuels. This creates implications on federal and state governments to enact additional CCUS enabling policies.”

Iida Yuji, Director General, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan: “As a technology that is capable of reducing substantial CO2 emissions, it is important not only for Japan but also for the entire world to put CCS into practical use and realize its commercialisation.”

Newton B Jones, International President, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers: “CCUS is the global answer to climate change. It is the only solution that can truly mitigate climate change and provide reliable energy production through a realistic mix of renewables and natural resources—all while preserving and creating jobs, economic growth and social stability.”


Note to journalists:

Annya Schneider (can be contacted on-site at COP25): +32 493 47 12 22  annya.schneider@globalccsinstitute.com

Lee Beck (Washington DC): +1 202-677-9053 lee.beck@globalccsinstitute.com

Lucy Temple-Smith (Melbourne): +61 466 982 068  lucy.temple-smith@globalccsinstitute.com

About the Global CCS Institute: The Global CCS Institute is an international think tank whose mission is to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS), a vital technology to tackle climate change. Working with and on behalf of our Members, we drive the adoption of CCS as quickly and cost effectively as possible; sharing expertise, building capacity and providing advice and support so CCS can play its part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Financial sector crucial in unleashing funding for carbon capture and storage projects
Financial sector crucial in unleashing funding for carbon capture and storage projects

19th November 2019

19 November 2019, London, UK – Financial sector stakeholders, private sector representatives, government authorities, and climate experts gathered in London to discuss how to mobilize finance for carbon capture and storage (CCS) to deliver on climate ambition and meet the Paris Agreement commitments.

At the conference hosted by the Global CCS Institute, an international think tank working to accelerate the deployment of CCS, participants acknowledged that the financial sector can unlock and facilitate capital flows supporting the scale-up of CCS, including through providing sustainable finance and investments.

“Global investment in energy was around USD1.8 trillion in 2018, with limited investment in commercial scale CCS facilities. Perceived and actual risk are currently undermining and limiting capital flows into CCS deployment. Addressing market risk through government policy action will be key to bring more large-scale CCS projects in operation. In addition, highlighting the environmental, social and governance (ESG) features of CCS reinforces its crucial role in decarbonisation efforts, and helps unlock investment”, said Brad Page, CEO of the Global CCS Institute.

Global markets and the broad financial sector have a powerful role to play in driving the transition to a net-zero economy and supporting clean growth opportunities. With the development of new sustainable investment products, as well as provision of traditional project finance, the sector can provide the key to unlocking the capital flows needed to support the scaling up of CCS.

Speaking at the event, Zoë Knight, Managing Director and Group Head of the HSBC Centre of Sustainable Finance said: “CCS is an important and proven technology that is needed to support the energy transition and our efforts to significantly cut emissions from hard-to-abate sectors. Significant investments are necessary to accelerate the deployment of this technology. For this, it is crucial to generate interest from the financial community and present the opportunities behind investment in low-carbon technologies such as CCS. Government can also play a role in creating enabling policy frameworks to secure investment.”

There are currently 19 large-scale CCS facilities in operation around the world. The financing of this essential and versatile climate technology requires large-scale and affordable capital investments. According to a recent Institute report, the policies currently in place are insufficient to accelerate the deployment of CCS to the scale and at the rate required to meet global climate objectives. To deliver a net-zero transition, it is urgent to make CCS attractive to investors and financial institutions and enable the bankability of CCS projects.

With extensive experience in CCS and having helped to deliver the large-scale Quest CCS project in Canada, Syrie Crouch, VP of CCS at Shell said: “It is crucial to bring the financial community into the discussion on the deployment of CCS as we need to ensure that projects are both investable and insurable. Projects like Quest take years to deliver and are only possible with close collaboration with government authorities and other key stakeholders. There is a need for regulation, legislation and incentives to make progress on CCS and get it moving into commercial scale.”

In order to support decarbonisation efforts and accelerate the green transition, carbon capture and storage (CCS) among other climate mitigation measures and technologies will be needed to address emissions from energy-intensive industries. There are 51 CCS facilities globally – 19 in operation, four under construction, and 28 in various stages of development with an estimated combined capture capacity of 96 million tonnes of CO2 per annum.

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Annya Schneider (Brussels): +32 255 03972 annya.schneider@globalccsinstitute.com

Lee Beck (Washington DC): +1 202 677 9053 lee.beck@globalccsinstitute.com

Lucy Temple-Smith (Melbourne): +61 466 982 068 lucy.temple-smith@globalccsinstitute.com

About the Global CCS Institute:  The Global CCS Institute is an international think tank whose mission is to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS), a vital technology to tackle climate change and provide energy security. For more information, visit www.globalccsinstitute.com

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New wave of CCS activity: Ten large-scale projects announced
New wave of CCS activity: Ten large-scale projects announced

29th October 2019 - Washington DC

Washington, DC – The Global CCS Institute, a think tank, announced that ten large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) facilities were verified and added to its database. “There are now 51 CCS facilities globally – 19 in operation, four under construction, and 28 in various stages of development with an estimated combined capture capacity of 96 million tonnes of CO2 per annum”, said Brad Page, CEO, Global CCS Institute. “We are thrilled to see this new momentum of CCS project announcements globally. Eight of the ten facilities added are in the US, where policy confidence has resulted in increased project activity”, he adds.

The Global CCS Institute identifies and tracks large-scale CCS projects around the world.

The new US projects cover applications such as ammonia production, ethanol production, power, direct air capture, and integrated commercial storage hubs. CO2 storage hubs, which can store large amounts of CO2, remove barriers to CCS investment and help to bring down costs.

“These carbon capture and geologic storage projects across multiple industries and different regions of the country underscore how the revamped federal 45Q tax credit, coupled in some cases with DOE funding for engineering, is stimulating early project development and investment,” said Brad Crabtree, Vice President for Carbon Management at the Great Plains Institute and director of the Carbon Capture Coalition. “This is just the beginning—we will see even more projects emerge as soon as the U.S. Treasury comes out with its long-delayed guidance on the 45Q credit.”

The US-based projects are the result of a combination of sustained government support for CCS deployment and progressive incentive mechanisms triggering private sector action. These include the 45Q tax credit and the eligibility of CCS to receive credits under California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). The project update also comes on the heels of the US Department of Energy announcing $110 million in federal funding for CCS, including support for Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) Studies for nine CCS projects.

“CCUS plays an important role in reducing emissions and in carbon dioxide removal in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s pathways that can limit warming to 1.5-2.0 degrees Celsius. I am encouraged that a diverse set of projects are moving forward across a variety of sectors and applications”, said Karl Hausker, Senior Fellow, World Resources Institute Climate Program.

Two of the projects added were announced by Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, which already operates the Century Plant CCS facility. They include capturing the CO2 from two ethanol facilities, as well as the largest direct air capture project to date, aimed at capturing 1 Mtpa of CO2. The projects are expected to be designed to be eligible for both 45Q and the LCFS. In addition to the projects it is leading, the company also announced a letter of intent for a CO2 offtake agreement with a carbon-negative fuel production facility recently.

“We’re excited to expand our existing carbon capture project plans,” said OLCV President Richard Jackson. “Development of carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies is core to Oxy Low Carbon Ventures’ mission to advance a low carbon economy, and these new projects will open a pathway to producing fully carbon-neutral or even net-negative fuels.”

The global project pipeline also includes important technology developments including what could become the first large-scale direct air capture (DAC) project, as well as what could become the first large-scale CCS application on a natural gas power plant with the UK-based Clean Gas Project. In the Middle East, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) is adding a second CCS plant to its portfolio. The company is also operating the first CCS project on a steel plant. CCS, which is seen as vital to achieving climate goals, enjoys broad and diverse support.

“It's exciting to see the growing project pipeline for CCS projects both in the US and around the globe. Our hope is that these new projects will demonstrate the importance of investment in CCS and its vital role in creating jobs and sustaining communities”, said Cecile Conroy, Director Government Affairs Department, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers.

This new wave of CCS projects update comes ahead of the release of the Global Status of CCS 2019 Report on December 9 at COP25. The report is the Global CCS Institute’s annual, flagship report and details progress, policies and projects on CCS globally.

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Lee Beck (Washington DC): +1 202 677 9053 lee.beck@globalccsinstitute.com
Annya Schneider (Brussels): +32 255 03972 annya.schneider@globalccsinstitute.com
Lucy Temple-Smith (Melbourne): +61 466 982 068 lucy.temple-smith@globalccsinstitute.com

About the Global CCS Institute: The Global CCS Institute is an international think tank whose mission is to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS), a vital technology to tackle climate change and provide energy security. For more information, visit www.globalccsinstitute.com

Institute welcomes important milestone for transboundary carbon capture and storage
Institute welcomes important milestone for transboundary carbon capture and storage

15th October 2019

The parties of the London Protocol agreed to allow provisional application of the 2009 amendment of Article 6 to the London Protocol allowing for cross-border transport and export of CO2 for geological storage in sub-seabed geological formations at the London Convention meeting held between 7-11 October in London.

Welcoming the latest developments, Guloren Turan, General-Manager, Advocacy and Communications from the Global CCS Institute said: “This is an important milestone for the future deployment of CCS in Europe and globally. Many of the CCS projects under development rely on the international transport of CO2, notably in Europe.”

Read the full briefing from the International Maritime Organization on the latest developments of the London Protocol here.

Experts warn Net-Zero Industry Transition is an Overlooked Climate Challenge at Climate Week Event
Experts warn Net-Zero Industry Transition is an Overlooked Climate Challenge at Climate Week Event

24th September 2019 - New York

The Global CCS Institute hosted its first ever flagship event at Climate Week in New York City focusing on the net-zero industry transition.  As one quarter of global emissions are produced by industry, the event addressed the importance of accelerating global efforts towards a clean energy transition and how carbon capture and storage (CCS) can support the decarbonization of the industrial sector. International leaders from business, climate, and government also highlighted the sector’s pressing need to decarbonize its electricity production.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C states that to limit global warming to 1.5 °C, the industrial sector must reduce its emissions by 75-90 per cent relative to 2010 by mid-century, before phasing out emissions completely.

Participating in the high-level event, Guloren Turan, General Manager for Advocacy and Communications at the Global CCS Institute, said: “Urbanization, economic prosperity, and population growth are set to drive increased demand for industrial products exacerbating the pressing need to address head on the challenge of abating industrial emissions. Little attention has been given to CCS as part of the portfolio of mitigation options that can play a key role in decarbonizing heavy industry. We need transformational change in the industry sector. This will require investment, collaboration, ambition and action.”

In manufacturing sectors such as steel, and cement, which accounted for around 12 per cent of total direct CO2 emissions in 2017, CCS remains a key technology to eliminate process emissions. Speaking at the event was also Mahendra Singhi, CEO of Dalmia Cement, which had just recently announced a collaboration with UK-based Carbon Clean Solutions to build the first large-scale carbon capture plant on cement in India as part of its strategy to become carbon negative by 2040.

CCS technology can also decarbonize hydrogen production, currently responsible for about 700 mtpa of CO2 annually, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Hydrogen is seen as an important energy vector in a zero-emissions future to decarbonize a variety of sectors including industrial heat and transport.

The deployment of carbon capture and storage technologies in the industrial sector enjoys broad support, as a recent policy changes in the United States have shown. “CCUS is a major pathway for industrial decarbonization – one of the harder challenges of our energy system. Zero carbon liquid fuels are an important potential solution for this sector, and CCUS is one of the most affordable methods for making these types of fuel. In addition, some industries, like steel and cement, can’t prevent the generation of CO2 emissions, they can only be mitigated with CCUS,” said Kurt Waltzer, Managing Director, Clean Air Task Force.

With the need for a convergence of industrial, energy, and transportation policy under the umbrella of comprehensive climate action, Ms. Turan emphasized the urgency for government-backed policy confidence and public-private partnerships: “Innovative business models driven by a value on carbon, and policy confidence are key to the deployment of CCS in the industrial sector.”

Today, 17 of 19 operating large-scale CCS facilities globally are in the industrial sector capturing, and safely and permanently storing more than 30 mtpa of CO2. Many industrial applications of CCS are low-cost, including natural gas processing, offering the opportunity for near-term deployment and a pathway for CCS commercialization.

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