Despite not being a member of the bloc, Norway will earmark 20% of its contributions to the European Economic Area (EEA) over the next five years to fund carbon capture and storage (CCS; see EurActiv LinksDossier) projects in selected EU member states, Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg announced on Tuesday (27 May).
"The EU is a driving force in the development and implementation of CCS technologies. As part of our total contribution during the next period of the EEA Financial Mechanisms, Norway wants to earmark at least EUR 140 million over five years to support CCS projects in selected EU member states," Stoltenberg said.
The EU welcomed Oslo's initiative to help the bloc to establish of 12 CCS demonstration projects by 2015 (EurActiv 12/11/08).
"The importance of Norway as an energy partner of the EU can never be underlined enough. It is not only EU's second main supplier of oil and gas, but also an important player in the internal energy market and a front-runner in clean energy technologies like CCS and renewables," said EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs after meeting Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Riis-Johansen yesterday in the context of energy dialogue between the EU and Norway.
The prime minister announced in April that Norway plans to become the first country in the world to be carbon neutral by 2050. It has made CCS one of its priority instruments in slashing emissions.
North Sea exploration for storage space
Eenrgy Minister Riis-Johansen also met the UK Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change, Lord Hunt, to discuss using the North Sea as a storage ground for carbon captured from polluting installations.
The two countries commissioned a study to examine when it would become possible to use the sea-bed for burying carbon dioxide and how this can be prepared for in advance.
"The aim of the study will be to build a profile for the whole of the North Sea, assessing each countries' storage potential and projections of likely volumes and locations of CO2 flows, against a rising price of carbon," the officials said in a statement.
The UK and Norway are also planning to assist other EU governments in their attempts to implement the technology.
