Carbon capture and storage

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is the process to remove carbon dioxide, CO_², from waste gases produced in large-scale industrial processes and permanently store it underground.

CCS is one proposal to reduce global CO_² emissions.  Other proposed measures cover technological, behavioural and policy measures.

CCS is thought to be most applicable to reduce emissions from large-scale point sources, such as electricity generated from fossil fuels, and industrial processes including steel and cement production.

The International Energy Agency estimates that CCS could reduce global CO_² emissions by up to 28 percent by 2050.

Recently, governments and industry have pushed for CCS technologies to be brought to commercial scale.  The individual technologies involved are not new, but have yet to be fully tested by being demonstrated together at a commercial scale.

In New Zealand, the government’s focus has been to:

• co-ordinate research and policy steering groups
• support research and development in New Zealand
• collaborate on international research and development
• monitor international developments.