Clean coal could bring in millions

Jun 6 2009 by Sam Wood, The Journal

THE North East has a chance to lead the world in new green technology which could create thousands of jobs and bring millions of pounds into the region, say MPs .

Carbon capture, which makes coal-fired power stations much cleaner by removing much of the CO2 and then storing it safely, is already being developed in the region.

But it requires millions of pounds of investment and a co-ordinated effort from regional bodies if it is to become a world leading technology, MPs from the North East select committee said yesterday. At a meeting at Gateshead Civic Centre, the committee said a carbon grid would be created, with a network of pipes taking the carbon out to the North Sea, where it would be stored underground.

It is hoped the technology can be researched, developed and built in the region, before being exported around the world, potentially bringing in millions of pounds to the economy.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband will be in the North East later this year to visit Rio Tinto Alcan, near Lynemouth, Northumberland, which is researching the technology.

Wansbeck MP Denis Murphy is enthusiastic about the potential of the technology, but said hundreds of millions of pounds in investment is required to develop it.