World Coal Association calls for Climate Week to recognize role of all low emission technologies

“Climate Week brings to the surface the important issue of lack of policy parity and investment in all low emission technologies, including high efficiency low emission (HELE) coal technologies and carbon capture and storage (CCS),” said Benjamin Sporton, WCA Chief Executive.

“The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that demand for coal will grow by 33% by 2040. Coal is crucial in securing affordable energy to hundreds of millions of people in developing and emerging economies who currently lack access to energy. The only effective approach to meeting growing energy demand and reducing global emissions is to increase support for HELE coal plants and CCS technologies.”

HELE coal technologies provide significant immediate CO2 reductions and are a key step on the pathway to CCS. Raising the average efficiency of the global coal fleet from the current 33% to 40% would save 2 gigatonnes of CO2 emissions – equivalent to India’s annual CO2 emissions or running the Kyoto Protocol three times over.
CCS technology is a reality, as SaskPower’s Boundary Dam coal-fired power station in Canada is proving. This pioneering CCS project reduces greenhouse gas emissions by one million tonnes of CO2 annually, the equivalent to taking more than 250,000 cars off the road each year.

“As the IEA emphasises, CCS technology is vital to achieving global climate ambitions. However, according to the IEA while $2 trillion has been invested in renewable projects only 1% of this has been invested in CCS,” Mr Sporton highlighted.

Mr Sporton added: “The WCA recognises the role of all low emission technologies and has launched a global Platform for Accelerating Coal Efficiency (PACE). PACE’s vision is for the most efficient power plant technology possible to be deployed when coal plants are built. PACE’s objective is to raise the global average efficiency of coal-fired power plants and so minimise CO2 emissions, whilst maintaining legitimate economic development and poverty alleviation efforts.”

“All low emission 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.”

About the World Coal Association
The World Coal Association is a global industry association formed of major international coal producers and stakeholders. The WCA works to demonstrate and gain acceptance for the fundamental role coal plays in achieving a sustainable and lower emissions energy future. Membership is open to companies and not-for-profit organisations with a stake in the future of coal from anywhere in the world, with member companies represented at Chief Executive or Chairman level. WCA is the global network for the coal industry.