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For Australia to cut its greenhouse gas emissions, governments and industry agree that the country needs a diverse energy mix, including a suite of new technologies. While renewable energies will play an increasingly important role, fossil fuels will remain central to our energy system for many years to come. Coal provides reliable, affordable electricity and underpins the infrastructure of the economy. It literally keeps the lights on in NSW with just under 90% of the State’s electricity needs met by domestically mined coal.
Low emission technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) will be critical to enable NSW to maintain its current energy supply and meet future demand whilst reducing greenhouse gases. The coal industry and governments are dedicating significant resources towards the development of CCS and other low emissions technologies. Understanding that CCS is the only technology that can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel generation, the mining industry realised very early on that it had to be a leader in finding an environmental solution to climate change. In 2006, black coal producers establish the COAL21 Fund, a world first voluntary industry levy. The COAL21 Fund is a $1 billion fund over 10 years to explore low emissions technologies to combat climate change.
In April 2009 the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute was launched. This international initiative, led by Australia, has a mandate to speed up the development of CCS technology, and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the atmosphere. It will play a crucial role in delivering the G8’s goal of developing at least 20 fully integrated, industrial-scale CCS demonstration projects around the world by 2020.
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There are three distinct types of carbon capture. The first is Post Combustion Capture (PCC), which can be fitted to new or existing power stations to capture carbon emissions. The CSIRO’s Energy Technology Centre in Newcastle is a world leader in the development and trialling of PCC technology. This vital emerging technology is a key weapon in the global effort to reduce CO2 emissions as PCC has the potential to reduce C02 emissions from coal-fired power stations by up to 85%. The CSIRO, in collaboration with Delta Electricity and the Asia Pacific Partnership Funding, are also trialling PCC technology at the Munmorah Power Station on the NSW Central Coast.
 
Munmorah CCS Project by CSIRO (Source: CSIRO)
Oxy-firing is another type of carbon capture whereby carbon is extracted by burning coal with oxygen. Pre-combustion capture or Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) is the third type of carbon capture and involves converting gasified coal into hydrogen and carbon dioxide, extracting the carbon and liquefying it. Gasification also allows the hydrogen to be used to create electricity.
Following the capture of CO2 it is necessary to store it safely, securely and permanently in a geological reservoir. It is also necessary to monitor the reservoir to ensure the CO2 does not escape to the atmosphere.
Geological reservoirs under consideration for CO2 storage include depleted oil and gas fields, deep saline formations and deep unmineable coal deposits. To be suitable for geological storage a site must have no active faults, a body of permeable rock such as sandstone to absorb the CO2 and a cap of non-permeable rock to trap the CO2.
Australia has significant potential for geological storage of CO2, which is being progressively explored. Safe CO2 transport and long-term storage have been demonstrated by the oil and gas industries for more than 40 years. The CO2CRC Otway project in south west Victoria is an innovative example of how geosequestration can be sustainably implemented in Australia. The CO2CRC Otway project will involve 100,000 tonnes of CO2 being injected, stored and monitored in deep geological formations. To date, more than 65,000 tonnes of CO2 have been safely and efficiently injected underground with no signs of leakage.
Geological storage is being investigated and implemented by scientists around the world, such as the Sleipner project in the North Sea, off Norway, the In-Salah project in Algeria and the Weyburn project in Canada. Smaller scale projects such as the Frio Brine project in Texas, USA, have also been completed.
Carbon Capture and Storage Acitivity in Australia (2010)
(Source: C02CRC)
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Coal Mining Emissions
The mining industry in NSW is leading the way in technology development to reduce emissions from actual coal mining. For example, one of the largest mine-methane power generation plants in the world is located in the Southern Coalfield. This innovative plant creates enough power to generate electricity for 60,000 homes every year and saves up to 2.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year. Another world-first technology that generates electricity from methane is the WestVAMP project in the Illawarra. This technology utilises methane at concentrations of less than 1% to generate power for 4,500 homes per annum with an associated reduction of 0.25 million tonnes CO2-e per year.
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Australia has an opportunity to be a leader in the development and export of low emission technologies. This is critically important given that developing countries, particularly China and India, will continue to be reliant on fossil fuels for their economic development. The International Energy Agency predicts that China will account for nearly half of the world’s coal consumption by 2030. The global reliance on fossil fuel is evident with approximately 100 new large-scale power stations being built worldwide each year. There will be no significant reduction in global emissions without a technological solution to the emissions from the burning of coal globally.
External Links
C02CRC - Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies
Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute
NewGenCoal
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