This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk_politics/8014295.stm

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
'Clean' coal plants get go-ahead 'Clean' coal plants get go-ahead
(29 minutes later)
A new generation of coal-fired power stations equipped for carbon capture and storage has been signalled by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. The government has given the go-ahead for a new generation of coal-fired power plants - but only if they can prove they can reduce their emissions.
He told MPs up to four of the plants could be built by 2020 enabling the UK "to lead the world" in the technology. Up to four new plants will be built if they are fitted with technology to trap and store CO2 emissions underground.
The aim was to keep coal, a cheap fuel, within the UK's energy mix without abandoning climate change commitments. The technology is not yet proven and would only initially apply to 25% of power stations' output.
The Conservatives said the government had dithered over the issue and yielded ground to other countries. Green groups welcomed the move but said any new stations would still release more carbon than they stored.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology traps and stores carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels underground but has yet to be commercially proven. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband's announcement followed confirmation in the Budget that there would be a new funding mechanism for at least two - and up to four - "demonstration" carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects.
The climate change secretary said successful CCS development could cut carbon emissions from coal by 90%. Stations closing
In his Budget statement on Wednesday, the chancellor pledged funding for new projects alongside one existing scheme. He told MPs it would allow the UK "to lead the world" in the technology - and keep coal within the UK's energy mix without abandoning climate change commitments.
It is not clear where the new plants will be located although the government said areas where the greatest benefits could be generated included the Thames Valley, Humberside, Teesside, Firth of Forth and Merseyside. It is not clear where the new plants will be located although the government said areas where the greatest benefits could be generated included parts of Kent and Essex, Humberside, Teesside, Firth of Forth and Merseyside.
'Low carbon path' In 2008 coal power stations provided 31% of the UK's electricity but a third of them are due to close in the next ten years.
Ministers say carbon capture can drastically cut emissions There is no alternative to CCS if we are serious about fighting climate change Ed Miliband
While acknowledging that coal posed a "stark dilemma" in terms of environmental and energy needs, Mr Miliband said there was an "international imperative to make coal clean". Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel but is likely to remain widely used across the world because it is cheap and relatively abundant.
Mr Miliband told MPs clean coal had an important role to play in providing the "diverse energy mix" the UK needed alongside nuclear power and renewable sources of energy. Mr Miliband said there was an "international imperative to make coal clean" and said the era of "unabated" growth in coal-fired plants was over.
He said the era of "unabated" growth in coal-fired plants was over and that future plants would have to demonstrate they could sustain "substantial" CCS capacity to get planning permission. He said only allow new coal stations fitted with CCS would be allowed to be built in England and Wales.
Once CCS is proven commercially viable, as the government expects by 2020, all existing plants will have to move to CCS across all their output within five years. Higher bills
Mr Miliband said Thursday's announcement was a "decisive step" on taking the UK on a "low-carbon path". The technology would at first have to cover between 20 and 25% of the station's energy output.
"There is no alternative to CCS if we are serious about fighting climate change and retaining a diverse mix of energy sources for our economy," he said. Once it is "independently judged as economically and technically proven" - which the government expects by 2020 - those stations would have five years to "retrofit" CCS to cover 100% of their output.
The development of CCS in the UK has proved a slow process. Mr Miliband said successful CCS development could cut carbon emissions from coal by 90%.
Opposition parties have claimed lack of government support has forced some operators to develop technology abroad. This statement is urgently needed because after 12 years Britain's energy policy is as much of a horror show as our public finances Greg ClarkConservatives
The BBC's Environment Analyst Roger Harrabin said each new carbon capture project could cost £1bn. He told MPs the move put the UK "in a world leadership position on CCS and coal".
While the power industry and some environmentalists welcome the strong new commitment to carbon capture, others argue that even coal plants with carbon capture equipment fitted will still produce substantial amounts of greenhouse gases, he added. "There is no alternative to CCS if we are serious about fighting climate change and retaining a diverse mix of energy sources for our economy," he added.
Earlier this year the European Commission approved more than £1bn in funding for CCS development at 11 coal-fired stations across Europe, including four in the UK. One publicly funded project had already been planned and the additional ones will be funded through a scheme which will guarantee the price companies receive for electricity generated by CCS.
Mr Miliband said that would add an estimated 2% to energy bills by 2020.
Shadow energy secretary Greg Clark welcomed what he called the government's "Damascene conversion" to CCS adding: "This statement is urgently needed because after 12 years Britain's energy policy is as much of a horror show as our public finances."
For the Lib Dems, Martin Horwood was concerned that by only insisting on 100% CCS use when the technology was deemed ready, Mr Miliband had inserted a "dirty great loophole big enough for some of the dirtiest power stations possible to fit into".
The announcement was welcomed by trade unions who said it could create thousands of jobs, avoid energy shortages and put the UK at the forefront of a technology that could cut carbon emissions across the world.
But while environmental groups welcomed an end to unabated coal fired stations - there were concerns about increased emissions.
Greenpeace executive director John Sauven said that for every tonne of carbon captured before 2020, three would be released into the atmosphere.
Some concerns were raised that billions of pounds of taxpayers' money was being spent on technology that remains unproven.
WWF-UK's Keith Allott said the taxpayer should not have to "shoulder the full brunt of the costs" and the "polluter" should make significant financial contributions.