- Image via Wikipedia
It sounds such a simple idea. Take the carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power stations, store them underground and prevent global warming. The trouble is, it’s not as simple as that.
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has got politicians excited. It’s based on technology already used in the oil industry. Energy companies pump carbon dioxide into oil reservoirs so that they can raise the pressure and extract more oil and gas.
Once the oil or gas have been extracted, the companies haven’t, in the main, been too worried about what happens to the carbon dioxide afterwards. However, now some of them are testing to see whether the carbon dioxide remains underground.
