§ 11. Mr. Bob Blizzard (Waveney) (Lab)What assessment she has made of the future contribution of carbon capture and storage to the power generation process. [182688]
§ The Minister for Energy, E-Commerce and Postal Services (Mr. Stephen Timms)We published last year the conclusions of our "Review of the Feasibility of Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage in the UK". We see the technology as potentially playing an important role in the long term, but the report identified a number of major hurdles that still need to be overcome.
§ Mr. BlizzardIs it not the case that even if we meet the difficult target of generating 20 per cent. of our electricity from renewable sources by 2020, there will still be a gap in meeting our carbon dioxide emissions target? Is it not vital that the Government act now to develop carbon capture and storage technology in order to bridge that gap? That would be compatible with investment in renewables, but if the Government do not—
§ Mr. Deputy SpeakerOrder. The hon. Gentleman asked at least two questions, which is sufficient.
§ Mr. TimmsThe programme that we have set out for achieving our ambitious goals on reducing CO2 emissions includes the development of renewables, as my hon. Friend said, big programmes, ambitious efforts on energy efficiency and other initiatives. CO2 capture in power generation needs considerable research and development, as it is still rather costly. The USA's FutureGen project, for example, will cost about $1 billion, but will not be ready until 2015. There are important opportunities, but it is difficult to envisage carbon capture and storage becoming viable before 2020.