Response to the Commission's current consultation on the "Future of carbon capture and storage in Europe" (COM(2013) 180 final)

The European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC) is the body established by the national science academies of European countries to provide scientific advice to EU policy makers. In October 2011 it established a working group to examine the challenges that must be addressed to secure CCS as a viable component of strategies to mitigate climate change, and consequently to consider what contribution CCS may make in Europe up to 2050. The report presenting the findings and recommendations of this EASAC study can be downloaded from <link fileadmin reports easac_13_ccs_web_complete.pdf download file>here.

The report considers the three main components of CCS - capture, transport and storage.  It also presents an evaluation of alternatives to mainstream CCS technologies and reviews the important overarching issue of public engagement. Drawing these strands together, the report evaluates the prospects for CCS in Europe from now until 2050 and makes recommendations on the policy initiatives that will be necessary to enable CCS to contribute to climate change mitigation in Europe. The financial viability of CCS, storage issues, CCS technology development, CO₂ transport, and public engagement are analysed and discussed.

Drawing on the report and the advice of the working group, EASAC is pleased to respond to the specific questions posed in the Commission's current consultation on the "Future of carbon capture and storage in Europe" (COM(2013) 180 final). To read the full document click <link fileadmin pdf_s reports_statements ccs_consultation_response_220813.pdf download file>here.