KENT NEWS: Plans for a new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth are progressing following the announcement that E.ON has reached the next stage of a Government competition.
The energy firm will now receive "tens of millions of pounds" in funding to undertake a study into the readiness of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, seen as vital if the UK wants to continue burning coal while also meeting strict targets for greenhouse gas emissions.
E.ON said the results of the study will be made public to promote the further development of CCS worldwide.
Kingsnorth will then compete with Scottish Powers Longannet plant in Fife to win £1 billion funding for a new CCS facility.
Chief executive Dr Paul Golby said: "This is excellent news for the development of clean coal in the UK, coming as it does hard on the heels of our announcement about our scoping application for the Kingsnorth CO2 pipeline.
"It’s absolutely vital we get CCS right, and it’s especially heartening to see we’re now getting some real movement here in the UK.
"We should always remember that the long game with CCS is not just about Kingsnorth, it’s about a worldwide battle against climate change."
The announcement will come as a blow to environmentalists who believed E.ON had given up on coal last October when the firm announced it was delaying the plans due to a lack of demand for electricity in the recession.
POSTED: 12/03/2010 17:01:30
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