A successful application by the Queensland Government for Commonwealth funding of key low-emission coal technologies is an important milestone for clean energy in the State, the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) said.
According to QRC chief executive Michael Roche, Queensland remains in a good position to secure a significant share of the Commonwealth Government’s $2 billion Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Flagships Program funding.
“With two major Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle and CCS projects already in the pipeline, I am confident Queensland will have a good chance of receiving significant support from the program,” he said.
“The high calibre of the partners in these projects, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, GE Energy and Xstrata, give further weight to the Queensland Government’s funding bid.”
Roche said that in light of the International Energy Agency forecast of a doubling in global electricity demand over the next 20 years, reliance on coal generated power is set in continue, which makes clean coal technologies more important in reducing global carbon emissions.
“Queensland could well become a leader in providing this technology to the world,” he said.