The work of the Global Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Institute to accelerate the development and uptake of carbon capture and storage technologies round the world will be further facilitated by the opening of an office in Tokyo.
The new office is the first in Asia and builds on the Institute’s existing presence in Europe and North America. Japan is well-represented at the Global CCS Institute, which now has over 320 members and Japanese nationals will staff the new office.
Attending the official opening in Tokyo today, Australian Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson AM MP, commended the Institute for its ongoing work and welcomed the enhanced engagement with Asia on CCS technologies.
“An idea that took shape in Australia now has a visible presence here in Japan,” Minister Ferguson said.
“In just over two years of operation the Global CCS Institute has already accomplished a great deal in promoting knowledge sharing between countries and promoting the commercial scale deployment of CCS around the world.”
According to the International Energy Agency fossil fuels will account for more than half of the projected 36 per cent increase in worldwide energy consumption by 2035.
“While more and more energy is coming from renewable sources fossil fuels are still expected to account for a significant portion of world energy generation for decades to come. That’s why the commercial deployment of carbon capture and storage has such a critical role to play in reducing carbon emissions from the energy sector,” Minister Ferguson said.
“As the Asia Pacific region is expected to account for much of the growth in demand for coal, and is home to more and more clean-coal research it is important for the Global CCS Institute to have an office here.
“Working on joint projects, sharing information, improving regulatory frameworks – all these things have a positive impact. They promote the transfer, development and deployment of advanced technologies. By working together, we achieve far more than working independently.”
The United States, Europe, Australia and increasingly countries like Japan and China are funding large-scale CCS demonstration projects seeking to apply proven technology at scale to new integrated applications, particularly in electricity generation. In addition to supporting the Global CCS Institute the Australian Government has also committed $1.68 billion to the CCS Flagships program.