Hon Gerry Brownlee
Minister of Energy and Resources

16 April 2009 Media Statement

NZ joins international climate change initiative

Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee today announced the New Zealand government is becoming a founding member of the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute (GCCSI).

This Australian initiative aims to accelerate the commercial deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology internationally.

The Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, formally launched the 100-million- dollar Institute in Canberra today.

CCS is a potentially important technology option for climate change mitigation. This process involves capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from large sources of emissions for storage underground rather than emitting it to the atmosphere.

“We look forward to participating in this global forum as a founding member,” said Mr Brownlee.

“CCS has great potential in the transition to low-carbon energy production. This is particularly important for countries that have significant CO2 emissions,” he said.

New Zealand is in the early stages of investigating the potential of CCS for our unique energy mix and environment .

“There are two aspects to this -domestic and international,” Mr Brownlee said.

“Domestically, this support is designed to ensure maximum flexibility for New Zealand’s energy future. We have much work to do in order to establish whether CCS is a viable option for us.”

“Internationally, New Zealand supports CCS deployment, particularly in significant CO2-emitting economies, recognising that global uptake of CCS is likely to contribute to reducing global CO2 emissions in the future, “ he said.

Background

What is CCS?
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) — there are various means of carbon capture and storage but in this case the focus is on ‘geosequestration’ — a process whereby carbon dioxide (CO2) is captured from large point sources, compressed, transported and injected into deep geological formations for permanent storage.

Why CCS?
CCS is potentially a key technology globally for reducing CO2 emissions and thereby tackling climate change. The International Energy Agency projects that CCS could potentially contribute up to 30% of global CO2 emissions reduction by 2050.

What is the GCCSI?
The Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute (GCCSI) is a global initiative that is based in Australia. The key objective of the GCCSI is to fast-track commercial deployment of CCS through facilitating the implementation of at least 20 large-scale demonstration CCS projects worldwide by 2010.

Why has New Zealand decided to become a member of the GCCSI?
New Zealand has accepted Australia’s invitation to join the GCCSI for two reasons. First, New Zealand recognises that CCS could be a crucial technology to reduce global CO2 emissions, particularly in countries that rely on fossil fuels for electricity generation and other energy needs. Secondly, New Zealand needs to be familiar with this technology as it develops, in order to take considered and informed decisions on determining the role of CCS in New Zealand’s long term options for reducing CO2 emissions to the atmosphere.

Who are the founding members of the GCCSI?
The GCCSI has a number of governments and at least 30 industry participants as founding members.

Is the GCCSI the only international collaboration on CCS?
There are a range of international bodies working collaboratively to develop CCS technology and regulations. These bodies include the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF) and the International Energy Agency Greenhouse Gas Research and Development (IEA GHG R&D) Programme.

ENDS

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