British, Chinese to study China's energy

LONDON, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- British scientists said they are in China to study the feasibility of building coal-fired power plants capable of capturing and storing carbon dioxide.

The Near Zero Emissions Coal Phase I study in Beijing will implement the concepts of a large-scale carbon capture demonstration project in China agreed upon during the European Union-China summit in September 2005, British Geological Survey officials said in a news release.

Nick Riley, who heads Science for Energy at BGS, said the carbon capture and storage study "offers the opportunity to reduce emissions per unit of electricity by 85 (percent to) 90 percent. Large-scale deployment of (carbon capture and storage) in China has (the) potential to significantly reduce future greenhouse gas emissions."

Also included in the study's scope is selecting and assessing sedimentary basins for possible regional carbon dioxide storage.

A number of British and Chinese universities and organizations are involved in various aspects of the project, the BGS said.