Government reaffirms support for CCS

The government published its response to the Committee on Climate Change's Fourth Annual Progress Report on Monday 15 October. It was noted that UK emissions, including trading on the EU Emissions Trading System, were down 4% in 2011 compared to 2010. The government also confirmed it is "absolutely committed" to carbon capture and storage (CCS), and believes it has an "essential" role to play in decarbonising the power sector. It said "substantial progress" had been made with the CCS Commercialisation Programme and argued the UK portfolio of CCS projects should include at least one post-combustion gas project. The response also accepted the need to provide clarity on Electricity Market Reform and stressed it was not the government's intention to "pick winners by reserving capacity". In the industrial sector the report noted that industrial emissions were down 3.3% and that the government was going to publish an industrial emissions strategy soon, setting out emissions reductions proposals for the coming decade. It also noted the government is working with industry to identify the barriers to and opportunities for industrial CCS.
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