Here’s an interesting announcement from Swedish energy giant Vatenfall via phys.org Vatenfall has announced that they are ending research and development into carbon capture and storage (CCS) in connection with coal-powered electricity generation. Apparently they had a coal power plant slated to go online in 2016 which would have a CCS facility — but this will no longer happen.
The reason Vattenfall gives for the change of plan is that the costs of such an undertaking would be too high.
Vattenfall’s Research and Development head Karl Bergman said. “We are evaluating our research portfolio in order to invest in R&D projects which can contribute more quickly to our business development.”
Those of us who follow news about the E-Cat are familiar with Vattenfall because they have publicly expressed interest in Andrea Rossi’s E-Cat technology as a potential energy source for future use. Vattenfall also contribute to Elforsk — the Swedish R&D institute which carries out research for the benefit of energy companies in Sweden, and which funded last year’s third party testing of the E-Cat.
There is no evidence that this decision to abandon their CCS project is connected with an anticipation of developing carbon-free energy production from E-Cat technology — there maybe none — but this decision does make one wonder. If you were an energy producer aware of the imminent release of a superior carbon-free energy source — would you continue to fund a carbon reduction project that was very expensive and difficult to acccomplish?
