Scotland to Fit Carbon Capture at Existing Coal Plants by 2025

The Scottish government plans to fit carbon capture and storage at all coal plants by 2025 and said demonstrating the technology could generate 3.5 billion pounds ($5.6 billion) in the next decade.

The government plans to complete a review by 2018, “with the likelihood of having existing plants retro-fitted by no later than 2025,” it said today in a draft document on power generation plans.

All coal plant applications must demonstrate CCS on at least 300 megawatts of capacity, and from 2020, they will require CCS for all their capacity, according to the document sent by e-mail today.

CCS technology sequesters emissions from fossil fuels, allowing coal plants to keep delivering a baseload of electricity without releasing pollution as Scotland transitions to renewable energy sources, according to the document. The nation plans to get 100 percent of its electricity from technologies including wind, wave and biomass by 2020.

“This predominant role for renewable energy in electricity supply in Scotland by 2020 will be supported by a minimum of 2.5 gigawatts of thermal generation progressively fitted with carbon capture and storage,” according to the document.

Successful demonstration of CCS technology in Scotland could create as many as 5,000 jobs over the decade, the government said in the document.

To contact the reporter responsible for this story: Sally Bakewell in London at Sbakewell1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reed Landberg at landberg@bloomberg.net