Written question asked by Dai Davies (Independent (affiliation)) on Tuesday, 16 December 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 18 December 2008. It was answered by Mike O'Brien (Labour) on Monday, 12 January 2009 on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Carbon Emissions: EU Action

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the Prime Minister's Statement on the EU Council Afghanistan, India and Pakistan of 15 December 2008, Official Report, columns 814-17, what the financial mechanism is to make available funds for the commercial demonstration of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology; how much of the nine billion euro of such funding will be contributed by the United Kingdom; and when he expects the first CCS demonstration project to be commissioned.

Answer: On 17 December 2008 the European Parliament passed the directive governing phase III of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), which will make available until 31 December 2015 up to 300 million free allowances from the new entrants' reserve for the construction and operation of up to 12 demonstration projects of carbon capture and storage (CCS) and innovative renewable energy projects. This does not require member states to make individual contributions, although any one project may claim only a maximum of 15 per cent. of the total number of allowances and projects must be co-financed by the operator. The total amount of funding that will be made available for CCS depends on the carbon price and the number of CCS projects that are put forward by the member states. The criteria for allocating allowances to projects will be determined over the next few months, but the aim of the mechanism is to stimulate investments in projects which will be operational by 2015.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 486 c114W; 245507
Session: 2008-09
Related items: EU Council/Afghanistan, India and Pakistan
Monday, 15 December 2008
Proceeding contributions
House of Commons
Subjects: Carbon capture and storage EU action Carbon emissions
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk