Benjamin Sporton, Chief Executive, World Coal Association, notes that “as 2015 draws to a close, one event will stand out in the calendars of all those connected to the energy industry. COP21 begins in Paris on 30 November—and, for two weeks, delegates will work to achieve a universally binding agreement on the climate. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference has been held annually since the Berlin Mandate in 1995; however, the build-up to the Paris convention has certainly been more intense than in previous years. The ongoing divestment campaign and the G7 leaders’ recent commitment to phase out carbon emissions by the end of the century shows there is real ambition ahead of Paris. This ambition, however, cannot ignore the reality that energy from coal, oil, and gas will be vital to global development ambitions. In order to succeed, any climate agreement must gain the backing of all UN member states and it is unrealistic to expect the world’s many developing countries to abandon the most reliable and affordable sources of energy available to them. For many countries, that means coal will be part of their energy mix for decades.

“China is the most obvious example of a country that has rapidly developed using coal. Over the past three decades the country has connected 99% of its population to the grid and seen its economy grow at an astonishing rate. China is now renowned for its exports. None of this development would have been possible without the use of coal, of which it has plenty. Many other countries in the region also have access to considerable coal reserves and they will likely follow China’s lead. In Southeast Asia, coal consumption is projected to rise by 4.8% a year through to 2035, and coal production is set to grow by 2.4% in the same period. With this forecast in place, it would be irresponsible for ministers at COP21 to ignore the role that cleaner coal technologies need to play in mitigating CO2 emissions.

“It is vital that funding and attention are turned toward cleaner coal technologies. High-efficiency, low-emissions (HELE) technologies and carbon capture, use, and storage (CCUS) have the potential to dramatically reduce emissions from coal-fired power generation, while still meeting the demand for coal.

“HELE technologies can increase the efficiency of coal-fired power plants to such an extent that some two gigatonnes (Gt) of CO2 emissions could be cut each year. Such an emissions reduction could be achieved by increasing the current global average efficiency of the world’s coal fleet from 33% to 40% with off-the-shelf technology. To put that figure in some context, reducing CO2 emissions by 2 Gt is the equivalent of running the Kyoto Protocol three times over, or equal to India’s total annual CO2 emissions.

“Bringing this technology to all new coal-fired power plants would have a huge impact in reducing CO2 emissions around the world, while retaining the two characteristics that make coal such an attractive energy source: its affordability and its abundance. HELE technologies are the most logical way to target both energy access and the climate, treating those issues as integrated priorities. Therefore, HELE technologies should be recognized by climate negotiators in Paris as essential and requiring international support.

“Carbon capture, use, and storage (CCUS) is another key technology that has much potential to reduce CO2 emissions while maintaining the affordability and availability of coal, other fossil fuels, and biomass and waste. In the process of CCS/CCUS the CO2 can be stored or, alternatively, used in enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR), a process which has been in use for decades. CO2-EOR is important because it can provide a useful revenue stream to reduce the cost of early large-scale CCUS demonstrations. The recent success of SaskPower’s Boundary Dam Carbon Capture Project in Canada demonstrates that CCUS is both viable and affordable for electricity from coal.

“Operational since 2014, Boundary Dam is the world’s first commercial-scale post-combustion coal-fired CCS project, and a benchmark of what can be achieved using this technology. Located near Estevan, Saskatchewan, Boundary Dam provides a reliable baseload of 110 MW of electricity a year, while also reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions by 1 Mt of CO2 equivalent to taking a quarter of a million cars off the province’s roads. Much of the captured CO2 at Boundary Dam is used in CO2-EOR at nearby oil fields, while some is stored as part of the Aquistore Project at a depth of 3.4 km in a layer of brine-filled sandstone. Added to this, the process also captures 100% of the plant’s SOx emissions and 56% of its NOx emissions, again proving just how valuable a tool advanced technologies are in reducing the environ-mental impact from coal.

“While climate change is obviously a significant challenge, economic development and poverty alleviation are also key issues facing much of the world. Coal has a track record of fuelling economic development, and reliable energy is vital to improving the lives of people in the developing world; however, this does not mean that we have to follow an unsustainable path. Low-emission technologies, such as HELE and CCUS, provide us with the opportunity to tackle all three of these issues simultaneously, using the same solution.

“This vision was the inspiration behind the World Coal Association’s “Platform for Accelerating Coal Efficiency” (PACE) initiative. PACE envisages that, for all countries choosing to use coal, the most efficient power plant technology possible is deployed. The overriding objective would be to raise the global average efficiency of coal-fired plants, minimizing CO2emissions while maintaining legitimate economic development and poverty alleviation efforts.3 As urbanization increases and countries look to develop their economies, we cannot ignore that demand for affordable, reliable energy will continue to grow. It is crucial that those at COP21 in Paris recognize not only this fact, but also the huge potential of both HELE technologies and CCUS. We are now at a point where action can be taken to dramatically reduce CO2 emissions without reducing the affordability or reliability of people’s energy sources. This is an opportunity which must be taken for the sake of both the environment and the 1.3 billion people who live each day without proper access to energy.6

“The criticism leveled at fossil fuels has grown over recent years, particularly as the divestment campaign has gained momentum. In order to maximize the possibility of achieving the world’s two degree Celsius (2˚C) target, action must be taken immediately. Countries like India, Indonesia, and many more in the region will see the progress China has made over recent decades and be aware that coal-fired generation is, for them, a critical part of their path toward economic growth and development. It may seem simpler for the international community to wish away coal’s role in the energy mix, but that is not a realistic prospect. Indian Power Minister Piyush Goyal has previously described coal as playing an “essential role” in his $250-billion plan to provide “Power for All” by 2019, and the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts coal’s share in the total Indian energy supply to rise from its current 43% to 51% by 2035. Obviously, India shows no sign of slowing down the rate of its coal consumption, which makes it clearer still that 21st century coal technologies are vital to any hopes of a global climate agreement. It would be foolish to expect a country such as India, with the world’s second largest population, to turn its back on coal, giving up its opportunity to develop in an affordable and reliable way. A similar story can be told for many other emerging and developing economies in Asia.

“COP21 in Paris is being heralded by some as the last chance to avoid irreversible climate change, but the task of generating a consensus among a group of countries at very different stages of their development will be monumental. Affordable and reliable sources of energy are critical to development and this makes coal the logical choice for many developing and emerging economies. Such countries will not support an agreement that hampers their ability to develop. However, advancements in technology provide a pathway to compromise. HELE technologies and CCUS offer the potential for energy needs to be met, while also making huge reductions in global CO2 emissions. It is only by treating climate and development objectives as integrated priorities that we will successfully overcome these global challenges.”