Policy

Unabated coal-fired power generation could become a thing of the past in Europe after the European Parliament’s environment committee voted earlier this week to limit emissions on all new facilities built after 2015.

The so-called ‘Schwarzenegger clause’ will impose an emission performance standard of 500 g CO₂ per kilowatt-hour for new all power plants over 300 MW in capacity. This means that fossil-fuel burning power plants built after this date will have to incorporate carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology.

The environment committee also voted to channel 500 million emissions allowances under the EU’s trading scheme, worth up to an estimated €10 billion, into supporting 12 demonstration CCS projects. The committee is also urging the European Commission to ensure that contracts for the 12 projects are completed before a United Nations meeting in Copenhagen in November 2009.

The vote coincided with a recommendation from the UK Government’s Independent Climate Change Commission that the country should adopt a target of an 80% cut in carbon emissions by 2050.

“This new target, which scientists have been demanding for some time, should sound the death knell for new coal-fired power stations,” says executive director of Greenpeace John Sauven.

This puts yet another cloud of uncertainty over the future of EO.N’s controversial Kingsnorth coal power plant and others like it in the planning stage.

For further information:
www.europarl.europa.eu/parliament/public.do?language=en
www.europarl.europa.eu/comparl/envi/default_en.htm
www.greenpeace.org.uk
www.eon-uk.com/generation/supercritical.aspx