UK govt to outline plans to store climate change gases under North Sea

LONDON, Jun 14, 2005 -- AFX-UK

A plan to tackle climate change by capturing CO2 from power plants and storing it safely in depleted North Sea oil and gas fields will be outlined today by Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks.

A statement from the Department of Trade and Industry said carbon capture and storage could be up and running within a decade.

Speaking at the Royal Institution, and in the run up to next month's Gleneagles G8 Summit, at which the Prime Minister will put climate change centre stage, the Minister will say that reaching the target of cutting carbon emissions by 60 pct by 2050 means action must be taken now to support emerging technologies that will enable the UK to burn coal and gas more cleanly.

At the same time, with major expansion of coal fired power generation expected in China and India, the moves are designed to put the UK at the forefront of what could be a valuable new export opportunity, he says.

A "Hydrogen Strategy" worth a further 15 mln stg will also be announced today. The DTI said previously disparate efforts on hydrogen and fuel cells R&D will be brought together for the first time within an overall strategy.

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