[September 2006]  The Clean Coal Task Group (a joint industry initiative) have written to Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks MP setting out proposals for how government could guarantee a long term future for the UK coal industry and cut down on harmful CO2 gas emissions.

The proposals suggest that a move to adopt clean coal technology would not only mean a secure future for the 10,000 people currently employed in deep and open cast coal mines across the UK, but it would also mean that workers in coal-fired power stations will have jobs for years to come.

The report, 'A Framework for Clean Coal in Britain', says that the adoption of clean coal technology, together with a new carbon capture and storage technology will help the UK meet its EU target for the reduction of CO2 emissions. It says that the UK has plenty of coal reserves, which can be mined cheaply, and which are not subject to the same kind of price fluctuations as other energy sources, notably oil.

A new generation of environmentally-friendly clean coal-fired power stations, linked to a new CO2 pipeline would open up a whole host of new manufacturing and employment opportunities for the UK, says the report. This move to green technology would also set a good example for the rest of the world to follow.

Mike Farley, Chairman of the Clean Coal Task Group and Director of Technology Policy Liaison at Mitsui Babcock, said: "Clean coal must be integral to the Energy Review. We need a framework for energy in the UK that ensures a diverse portfolio of power generation. We need to eliminate all barriers to clean coal power plants. We need an Emissions Trading Scheme that provides incentives for investment in coal and we need to develop the legal infrastructure for CO2 capture and storage in the UK. Clean coal is the only short term solution to the urgent environmental, economic and supply challenges the UK is facing. What we need now is clean coal at the heart of a diverse energy policy."

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "If the Government takes on board our suggestions for clean coal, thousands of people currently employed in coal-mining and coal-fired power stations will be able to sleep easier at night, knowing that their jobs are safe for the future. Clean coal technology would not only ensure that the UK has a secure, reliable and cheaper source of energy for the future, it would also make a massive contribution towards cutting our greenhouse gas emissions."

'A Framework for Clean Coal in Britain' would like to see the Government maintaining the present number of coal-fired power stations in the UK, gradually converting them to clean technology, and setting a green example for the rest of the world to follow.

The report says that using home grown clean coal meets all the objectives of the recently published Energy White Paper. Adopting clean coal technology would strengthen the security of energy in the UK, put the country on a lower carbon path and make fuel more affordable.

'A Framework for Clean Coal in Britain' also calls on the Government to develop new contracts concerning the sale of UK coal. At the moment, UK coal is sold at less than it costs to import coal from overseas, and at these low prices, doesn't allow for the necessary investment in deep mines.

The Clean Coal Task Group was established as a result of a motion passed at last year's Congress in Brighton which called for the TUC to promote the case for clean coal technology. It is a joint industry, unions and government advisory body.

The 'Framework for Clean Coal in Britain' [Word: 162 B] report is available via the TUC website.

Clean coal supercritical plant operates at greater than 'supercritical pressure' (typically 300 bar) with 600oC steam conditions. By raising the pressure and temperature of the generated steam to supercritical conditions, power plant efficiency is increased, making more electricity from less coal and reducing CO2 emissions compared to a conventional plant. Supercritical plant can be 'retrofitted' to existing coal plants, using the existing infrastructure at the site.

Clean coal carbon dioxide capture involves generating a concentrated stream of pure carbon dioxide for capture and injection into a storage site. Carbon dioxide is separated and captured from the flue gas stream. The leading technologies in post-combustion capture are: chemical solvent absorption using amine-based solvents, commonly-known as 'amine scrubbing'; and oxygen-fired pulverised coal combustion, commonly known as oxyfuel firing. 'Capture' technology is a well-established means of separating carbon dioxide from natural gas (known as natural gas 'sweetening') and for some other industrial processes but has not yet been used in association with electricity generation in the UK.

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