CLEAN COAL The World Coal Association calls for greater investment in cleaner coal technologies to meet the growing global energy demand while also reducing carbon dioxide emissions
Global industry body the World Coal Association (WCA) has called for greater investment in cleaner coal technologies to meet the growing global energy demand, while also reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
As coal is currently providing 40% of global electricity, with coal use forecast to grow by another 17% over the next 20 years and 1.3-billion people globally still needing access to electricity, greater investment in clean coal technologies is needed.
The WCA notes that technologies such as high efficiency, low emissions (HELE) coal plants and carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS), can make a significant contribution to reducing global CO2 emissions as part of the energy mix, and has launched a global Platform for Accelerating Coal Efficiency (PACE) to promote adoption of these technologies.
“PACE’s vision is for the most efficient power plant technology possible to be deployed when coal plants are built. The platform’s objective is to raise the global average efficiency of coal-fired power plants and so minimise CO2 emissions, while maintaining legitimate economic development and poverty alleviation efforts,” WCA acting CE Benjamin Sporton says.
The WCA states that increasing the average efficiency of the global coal fleet from the current level of 33% to 40% can be done with off-the-shelf technology that is currently available.
“This would make a significant contribution to global efforts, saving around 2 Gt/y of CO2 – roughly equivalent to India’s total yearly emissions,” the association notes.
Further, CCUS technology is also already a reality, as evidenced by the Boundary Dam coal-fired power station, in Canada.
This pioneering project will reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by one-million tonnes of CO2 a year, the equivalent to taking more than 250 000 cars off the road each year.
“Calls for divestment ignore the global role played by coal and the potential offered by HELE and CCUS technologies. “It is essential that responsible investors actively engage with the coal industry. “All low emissions technologies are needed to meet climate targets. We cannot meet our energy needs, tackle energy poverty and reduce global emissions without utilising all options available to us, including low emissions coal,” Sporton concludes.