Call for co-operation in clean coal
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BRISBANE, March 16 AAP
March 16 2010, 3:18PM
A week out from US President Barack Obama's first visit Down Under, a senior Democrat says Australia has a key role to play in helping to deliver on the US administration's global clean coal agenda.
Clean coal is expected to be among the issues to be discussed with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd when Mr Obama visits on March 25-26.
Wyoming Governor David Freudenthal, whose state produces more coal than Australia, is working with a task force set up by Mr Obama to deliver a federal strategy on carbon capture and storage (CCS) by August.
The US president wants a plan to bring up to 10 commercial demonstration CCS projects online by 2016.
Coal-fired power plants are one of the largest contributors to emissions in the US and Australia, with coal accounting for about 40 per cent of global emissions.
CCS, which is said to be the most promising of clean coal technologies, involves the capture, transportation and long-term storage of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in deep geological formations underground.
Mr Freudenthal told AAP during a visit to Brisbane that Australia had a key role to play in coming up with CCS technology.
"What we are really looking for are some opportunities for co-operation and collaboration with the university sector, the government sector and the private sector," he said.
"I think the realisation that people need to focus on is that it really doesn't matter whether it's figured out in Wyoming or Queensland or wherever, somebody's got to figure it out and the technologies need to be broadly available.
"Because coal is such an abundant resource in the US and China and India and Australia that it is going to be part of the energy mix, the question is how do we make sure we do that in a way that is sensitive to a broad range of concerns ... (and) as it relates to climate policy."
One of the companies bridging Wyoming and Queensland is GE, which is involved in CCS research in both states.
The southern Queensland project, in which GE is working with Stanwell Corporation to develop a clean coal power station at Wandoan, has been shortlisted for the next stage of the federal government's CCS flagship program.
Mr Freudenthal said it was important that clean coal projects are done as partnerships, particularly as the financial benefits are yet to be proven.
"You've got to recognise that at the end of the day the first movers in this areas are going to need some partners," he said.
"There's not an assurance of profitably on this yet so to some degree the government has to bear some of the risk but a lot of the creativity's in the private sector."
The governor, who met with Premier Anna Bligh, has invited a delegation to his state this year, with plans under way for a clean coal technologies seminar in June at the University of Wyoming.
By Paul Osborne
