Clean Coal proving expensive
Scrubbing carbon from coal-fired power stations is possible but pricey, The Economist reports.
THERE are two remarkable things about Sleipner T, a gas rig in the middle of the North Sea owned by Norway’s state-owned oil company, Statoil.
One is the working conditions. Technicians get about Norwegian kronor 600,000 ($120,000) a year, private rooms with televisions and ensuite bathrooms, and work two weeks out of every six. That is what you get when social democracy meets oil wealth.
The other unusual thing about Sleipner T is that the carbon dioxide (CO2) that has to be extracted before the gas can be sold does not contribute to global warming. Instead of being pumped into the atmosphere it is re-injected into the ground, 1000 metres below the seabed. That is what you get when an innovative company meets a carbon tax.
Statoil started capturing and storing its carbon dioxide in 1997, five years after Norway introduced a carbon tax. Nobody paid much attention then, but these days Statoil gets a regular stream of visitors because carbon capture and storage (CCS), also known as carbon sequestration, is widely seen as a possible quick fix for global warming.
It is the abundance, cheapness and dirtiness of coal that makes CCS so appealing. Coal produces 50 per cent of America’s electricity, 70 per cent of India’s and 80 per cent of China’s. It is widely distributed around the globe, which enhances its attractions at a time of concern about energy security. Burning coal is the cheapest way of generating electricity. And coal produces about 40 per cent of the CO2 emissions from energy use.