Australia’s carbon capture plan
The Australian Government is considering a bold plan for carbon capture and carbon storage under the nation’s seabead, according to the SMH.
“The federal Energy Minister, Martin Ferguson, said yesterday the plan was vital to making Australia a leading player in clean coal technology.
“Coal will continue to make a major contribution to Australia’s energy needs well into the future and therefore we need to urgently reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired electricity generation,” he told the Australian Energy Alliance conference in Sydney.
The plan will be pushed through Parliament this year so the Rudd Government can begin releasing acres of offshore sedimentary basins for companies to search for storage sites.
The move would make Australia “one of the first countries in the world to establish a regulated carbon capture and storage regime”, Mr Ferguson said. But he acknowledged that the question of who would accept legal liability for the long-term seabed storage had yet to be worked out.
“Liability is one of the key issues to be resolved,” he said.”