Report shows CCS could work in NZ – Straterra

2 November 2011

Report shows CCS could work in NZ – Straterra

Straterra welcomed today a new report concluding that carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies could work safely and effectively in New Zealand.

“This will be of interest to coal including lignite, and gas-based industries in New Zealand,” Straterra CEO Chris Baker said today.

Mr Baker was commenting on a technical report and companion summary by Transfield Worley entitled “CCS in New Zealand – Can Carbon Capture and Storage deliver Value for New Zealand as we head towards a low carbon future?”, released today by the New Zealand Carbon Capture and Storage (NZCCS) Partnership.

Transfield Worley was commissioned by the NZCCS Partnership to investigate the challenges facing CCS deployment in New Zealand.

CCS entails the capture, transport, injection, and long-term storage in appropriate geological reservoirs of carbon dioxide gas emitted from large point sources. A coal or gas-fired electricity generation plant would be an example, as would plants manufacturing synfuels, fertiliser, cement, steel, and oil refineries.

“The technology already exists to do these things individually,” Mr Baker said. “We can stop CO2 entering the atmosphere but it is expensive to bring these technologies together at scale.”

“CCS needs help to progress, as do all technologies with low carbon intensity (including renewables). For instance, the regulatory regime is important and our laws do not easily support CCS development, adding to the cost and risk for companies to pursue CCS. This report highlights this and other issues.”

The NZCCS Partnership was formed in 2006 to assess and address the enabling of CCS technologies at scale in New Zealand. The NZCCS Partnership comprises interested industry and government representatives, including the Ministry of Science and Innovation, Ministry of Economic Development, Coal Association of NZ, and Solid Energy.

More information: http://www.straterra.co.nz/CCS

ENDS

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