CCS sidelined by public opposition

In the EU, coal power currently accounts for about one fourth of electricity generation. Although many plants are scheduled for closure, new installations could impede EU climate policy for decades. Theoretically, CO₂ from the plants could be piped by a carbon capture and storage (CCS) network into subterranean geological formations. However, the CO₂ storage Directive 2009/31/EC estimates that by 2030 only “15% of the reductions required in the Union” would be achievable by these means.

Based on the approximately 50 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions reduced in the EU annually, CCS would therefore account for a decidedly small fraction of carbon dioxide avoidance. However, the actual capture figure would be much higher. First, additional coal energy would be required for CO₂ separation, compression, and long-distance pipeline transport. Furthermore, two to three times the current greenhouse gas reductions will be necessary to limit global warming to 2°C.

Storing vast quantities of compressed carbon dioxide underground challenges the plausibility of CCS proposals. The CO₂ would have to be forced into deep geological brine formations at energies sufficient to unleash minor earthquakes. Ice Age glaciers have carved long furrows into ancient sediments throughout Northern Europe. The highly pressurized CO₂ could extrude salt water through numerous fissures into overlying strata, imperiling the drinking water supplies of future generations.

Public opposition groups such as “Kein CO₂ Endlager” (No CO₂ Repository) in Germany and “Skifergas nej tak” against shale gas extraction in Denmark have assessed possible groundwater contamination from injecting carbon dioxide and fracking fluid at pressures of up to several hundred atmospheres. These opponents are critical of any “CO₂ time bombs” laid under areas of human habitation. Government mining authorities discount such figurative references in favour of substantiated geological evidence. However, appropriate verification would be impossible before millions of tons of carbon dioxide had been irretrievably injected into subterranean geological formations.

Extensive preparations are required even before storage operations begin. In 2008, RWE planned to transport 2.6 million metric tons of CO₂ annually from its Hürth lignite power plant in the Rhineland to near the Danish border. Following the 530 km pipeline route announcement, a petition with 100,000 signatures against carbon dioxide transport and storage was presented by “Kein CO₂ Endlager” to German parliament. RWE soon cancelled the project and later closed the Hürth plant in 2015.

In contrast to widely distributed renewable energy technologies, CCS requires a single long equipment chain that must be fully functional to perform as intended. The additional energy and water requirements of capturing and compressing carbon dioxide have often been overlooked.

In Hamburg, for instance, a Vattenfall 1,640 MW coal power station on the Elbe River was approved by the city administration in 2007 under the condition of advanced-technology CO₂ avoidance. Friends of the Earth (BUND), however, warned that circulating river water through the auxiliary plant equipment for cooling would inadmissibly raise fish habitat temperatures. As the CCS application deadline approached in 2014, the necessary prerequisites for plant retrofitting, CO₂ transport, and geological storage proved unattainable. The conventional Moorburg plant therefore entered service in 2015 as a climate policy liability.

While Directive 2009/31/EC stipulates that CCS “should not serve as an incentive to increase the share of fossil fuel power plants”, its ongoing development lies in the interest of steam turbine manufacturers and pipeline construction companies. In 2009, the European Commission provided subsidies of up to €180 million each for a half-dozen pilot ventures in Member States to demonstrate various carbon capture and storage technologies.

None of these projects has fulfilled expectations. A 250 MW oxyfuel plant at Vattenfall’s 3,000 MW Jänschwalde site near Berlin was initially funded until faulty planning compelled its cancellation. A 300 km pipeline had been proposed to the largely depleted Altmark gas fields north of Magdeburg for CO₂-enhanced natural gas extraction. The opposition group “Kein CO₂ Endlager Altmark”, however, found the area to be perforated with abandoned gas wells. The subsequent prospect of shale gas fracking in the region is now being closely scrutinized.

If the European Commission had acknowledged the critical evidence provided by citizen interest groups at an early stage, EU energy policy would have been more accountable. A recent €3.9 million government grant in Germany for CCS research has again made this issue relevant. While carbon usage techniques might be appended to certain industrial processes, their evaluation would be enhanced by increased public awareness. Nevertheless, these specialized applications offer no prospect of averting climate change by neutralizing relatively small quantities of CO₂.

Jeffrey H. Michel

The author, Jeffrey H. Michel, is an energy policy specialist living in Germany and the USA.

In this issue

A 1.5 target is needed to save the Baltic Sea

Effects of global temperature increases on the biodiversity of the Baltic Sea.

CCS in Norway – still a long way from the goal

The CCS project at Mongstad in western Norway was finally cancelled in 2013, causing sarcastic comments about “The Moon landing that failed”.

How to account for emissions of greenhouse gases from imported goods?

Carbon emissions have dropped in many rich countries, Sweden among them. Or is it just that the emitting industries have moved to China? A technical discussion is getting intensely political.

Member states opt for weakening air pollution targets

Compared to the Commission’s proposal, the relaxed targets agreed by member states could result in an additional 130,000 premature deaths by 2030.

The EU should phase out fossil gas

AirClim has published a new report (1) about the need to phase out the use of fossil gas as soon as possible in order to meet the climate targets agreed at the UN Paris Climate Conference in December 2015.

Sanctions missing for ship sulphur sinners

In the first year of stricter standards in the Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECA) of the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and the English Channel, Swedish authorities took 441 ship fuel oil samples. They discovered 15 violations of the sulphur limit, but none of these resulted in fines or other types of sanctions.

New rules on emissions from medium combustion plants adopted

Despite a widespread agreement on the urgent need to cut emissions to improve air quality, existing installations are given very generous transition periods.

Cutting meat and dairy intake is beneficial for health, the environment and climate

Halving the consumption of meat and dairy in the EU would cut agricultural nitrogen losses by more than 40 per cent and GHG emissions by 25–40 per cent.

Sector targets for aviation and shipping wanted

In the absence of additional action, international shipping and aviation will be responsible for close to 40 per cent of global CO2 emissions by 2050.

Europeans still exposed to harmful air pollution

A new report by the European Environment Agency estimates that air pollution continues to be responsible for more than 430 000 premature deaths in Europe.

A new era for the debate on coal phase-out in Germany

2015 was not only the year of the groundbreaking climate agreement in Paris. It also marked a new era in political efforts on a more actively managed phase-out of power generation from coal and lignite mining in Germany.

Explaining vehicle emissions

A new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) provides a non-technical guide that describes why, for certain pollutants, vehicles can emit substantially higher emissions on the road than official emissions tested in laboratories.