Media Releases

Media Releases

Carbon capture and storage: a key technology for a decarbonised future

10th June 2019

Singapore Friday 7 June 2019: Representatives from industry, government, academia and the private sector from across Asia and the globe heard of the vital climate change technology carbon capture and storage (CCS) and its potential to decarbonise emissions intense nations last week.

The message was delivered as part of the Innovate4Climate Conference in Singapore, at a workshop hosted by international think tank the Global CCS Institute whose mission it is to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture and storage.

Speakers from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, India’s Dalmia Cement, Japan’s Ministry of Environment, Trade and Industry, and the Global CCS Institute told over 60 attendees of the development and potential of CCS technology in delivering deep emissions reductions; in particular in hard to abate industrial sectors – including cement, steel, fertisler and, petrochemicals – that account for just over 20 per cent of global emissions.

Making introductory comments, Dr Tony Zhang, Senior Client Engagement Lead from the Global CCS Institute said:

“CCS is a suite of safe and proven climate change mitigation technologies that prevents large quantities of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere. CCS is internationally recognised by specialist climate change bodies, such as the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA), as vital to achieving global climate targets under the Paris agreement.

“CCS is an essential clean technology not only because of its ability to achieve deep emissions reductions and mitigate global warming, but also because of its capacity to deliver energy security, economic growth and sustainable development”, said Dr Zhang.

The essential application of CCS as a low-carbon technology in large industrial sectors was demonstrated by Mr Ashwani Pahuja, Chief Sustainability & Finance Officer for India’s Dalmia Cement.

“For the decarbonisation of the cement industry in India, the only solution is carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) and we believe our carbon emissions can not only be captured but also utilised effectively”.

“As a climate forward organisation, we want to be part of the solution, and we must be a leader in the field of CCU to move the technology forward”, said Mr Pahuja.

Mr Yoshihiro Kawaguchi from Japan’s Ministry of Environment, Trade and Industry (METI) spoke of the significance of CCS as an emissions reduction technology, and the important role governments can play with supportive policy.

Mr Kawaguchi noted that as CCS deployment increases, costs will come down. He said there is also an increased opportunity for Japan, and all countries, to collaborate on the improvements to technology and progression of CCS globally.

Dr Paul Liu, Assistant Professor at the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore said even with the progress of renewables, CCS remains an essential decarbonisation technology whilst also highlighting its key role in emissions intense industrial processes.

Dr Liu also addressed the question CCS cost, saying there is huge scope to bring costs down through industrial experience and improving energy efficiency processes.

“A lot of work is currently being done on CCS research and development that will result in driving costs down. Many key sectors are working collaboratively, and this will accelerate cost reduction”, said Associate Professor Liu.

The workshop also highlighted the positive outcomes of the transition to a low emissions economy, and the opportunities carbon capture, storage and utilisation technologies present for the South East Asian region.

“The versatility of CCS to deliver deep emissions reductions across all sectors, as well as presenting an enormous opportunity for the creation of a new low emissions economy, is a great strength of the technology.

“This is of particular relevance for Singapore with the presence of an emissions intense petrochemical production industry”, said Dr Zhang.

Innovate4Climate is an annual event and in 2019 was hosted by the National Climate Change Secretariat (Singapore Government), the World Bank and the Ministry of Ecological Transition (Government of Spain), the event partner is IETA.

Currently, there are forty-three (43) large-scale CCS facilities – 18 commercially, five under construction and 20 in various stages of development. Australia’s first CCS facility, Gorgon, is due to come onstream this year.

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