Climate Change, Carbon Capture and Storage Technology

Translation from the Norwegian/Swedish
of extracts of the article
“Koldioxidlagring är Norges bästa vapen mot klimathotet” 

 

• According to the IEA, global demand for energy will increase by 45% by 2030. 
• If no new policies are introduced and if the energy mix remains the same as today, global average temperature is predicted to increase by six degrees Celsius by the end of this century. The result will be a global disaster. 
• In order to prevent this, we must cut global greenhouse gas emissions by between 50 and 85% by 2050. 
• Cutting emissions is key. But cutting energy consumption, beyond what can be saved through improved energy efficiency, is extremely hard to envisage – and not necessarily desirable. The key is to reduce emissions.  
• For the last eight years, Sweden has reduced emissions significantly while maintaining economic growth. 

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• According to the IEA, 80% of global energy demand will be met by fossil fuels in 2030. About the same mix as today. 
• In short, we need to develop technologies that can capture and safely store CO2. 
• Carbon capture and storage technology could reduce CO2 emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants by between 85% and 95%. According to the IPCC, carbon capture and storage could contribute 15–55% to the overall mitigation effort this century. We need to develop this CCS technology further, bring it up to scale and make it available – across the globe. 
• At the Sleipner Field, off the west coast of Norway, a total of 10 million tonnes of CO2 has been stored 1000 metres under the seabed during the past 12 years. 
• Multinational research projects, financed by the EU, have confirmed that the CO2 is confined securely within the storage reservoir. 
• Vattenfall is one of our main partners at the Mongstad test centre. We are building on our experience from Sleipner and we aim to take it further and have an industrial-scale carbon capture facility operational by 2014. The goal is to capture 1.3 million tonnes of CO2 per year from a combined heat and power plant, and an additional 1.1 million tonnes from a refinery. 
• In 2008, Norway started the world’s first CO2 injection project. CO2 is separated from natural gas at an onshore liquefied natural gas plant and then piped back 160 km to the Snøhvit field in the Barents Sea, off Hammerfest, where it is injected and stored in a geological formation 2600 metres under the seabed. This is, of course, an expensive undertaking. 
• The EU’s objective of launching up to 12 pilot projects is also a clear message. 
• At Värtaverket here in Stockholm, Swedish and Norwegian companies have been working together on a pilot project to test techniques for CO2 capture. Another important project is running at the power plant in Karlshamn. 
• Capturing the CO2 is one thing. Transporting and storing it is another. 
• Additional changes in the London Protocol are required to legalise cross-border transport of CO2 for offshore storage in another country. 
• Such changes could provide a great opportunity for closer cooperation between Sweden and Norway. 
• In many ways, Sweden and Norway are special cases when it comes to energy mix. It is difficult to make deep cuts in our emissions because energy consumption in both countries is already based largely on renewable sources. 
• In Norway, hydropower accounts for about 99% of electricity production, and around 60% of our total energy use comes from renewable sources. 
• Nevertheless, most of our political parties have agreed on a set of ambitious climate targets for Norway, including national emission cuts: Norway has undertaken to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of 30% of its own 1990 emissions by 2020. About two-thirds of these cuts will be made in Norway. 
• Our firm long-term ambition is to make Norway carbon neutral by 2030. 
• All countries of the world have a responsibility in the fight against climate change. But if we are to get the emerging economies onboard, we – the rich countries – need to accept the principle of different obligations. Industrialised countries, such as Norway and Sweden, must take responsibility for the damage we have caused to the environment, and we must continue to take the lead in reducing emissions.