VICTORIA’S Energy and Resources Minister Peter Batchelor has announced a state government funded study has found ways to significantly reduce the cost of adapting carbon capture technology for its coal-fired power stations.
Batchelor says the government is taking action to help power stations reduce greenhouse gas emissions and move to a low-carbon future.
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology is recognised across the world as a way of potentially making deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions.
The study is said to provide new insight into how Victorian power stations can substantially reduce the cost of implementing technology to capture carbon in preparation for storage deep underground.
The group says while previous modelling has looked at stand alone carbon capture technology which can be bolted on to existing power stations this study developed methods for integrating carbon capture technology into both new and existing power stations. This could cut the overall cost of introducing this technology by as much as 25%.
Batchelor says as CCS is still in its infancy it has high costs which could be a significant barrier for power companies wanting to implement the technology. However, by discovering a way to reduce the cost power stations will be able to adopt the technology sooner.
The report has been completed as part of the $5.6m Latrobe Valley Post Combustion Capture Project, which is a joint collaboration between the Brumby Government, Loy Yang Power and International Power and researchers from the CO2CRC and the CSIRO,” he said.
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