Bellona og SINTEFs påvirkningarbeid innen EUs teknologiplattform for CO₂-fangst og -lagring (ZEP)

This project is in essence a continuation of the Bellona Foundation’s 10 years of involvement as a founding and active member of the EU Technology Platform for CCS, the Zero Emissions Platform (ZEP). Bellona holds a number of leadership positions in ZEP, including that of Vice Chair, co-chair of the Network Policy & Economics, the External Response Group, and the Working Groups Transport & Storage and Regulation & Funding.

The goal of the project is to ensure that the European Union retains CCS as a priority technology for dedication of RD&D funding, as well as promoting the need for a policy framework that can make CCS, notably the transport and storage of CO₂, investible in Europe. With the Paris Agreement from the climate summit COP21 in December 2015, and the IPCC 5th assessment report from the year before, it’s clear beyond doubt that a swift deployment of CCS will be critical for the achievement of agreed global warming mitigation targets. Bellona makes it a priority to point to swift roll-out of CO₂ infrastructure as an insurance against the growing risk that decarbonisation efforts and climate ambition in Europe and beyond will be undermined by concerns related to protecting industrial employment, notably in energy- and emission-intensive industries exposed to global competition like steel, cement, chemicals.

2015 has been a turning point in this work – Bellona succeeded in reengaging the European Commission on the highest (political) level, with the direct involvement of Climate and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete and Commission Vice-President for the EU Energy Union, Maros Sefcovic. The latter asked ZEP to provide a plan, largely based on Bellona’s recommendations for a CO₂ Economy in Norway, and Bellona took lead of this work within ZEP. The so-called ‘Executable Plan’ was launched in July and since then it is being followed-up in close cooperation with the Commission. This is highly promising for reinvigorating CCS in Europe with a main focus on industry. On that same note, Bellona has also succeeded in involving a set of representatives from energy-intensive industries in ZEP’s work, both in the Market Economy modelling work and in the general policy and technology work streams. HeidelbergCement recently confirmed they will join ZEP as a member thanks to Bellona’s efforts in this respect.