China and the EU have signed a partnership on climate change on 5 September at the conclusion of a bilateral summit in Beijing.
The partnership mainly covers clean coal technology with the aim of "demonstrating, in China and the EU, advanced 'zero-emissions' coal technology" by 2020. Under the agreement, the EU would give China the technology and help invest in a new power station.
The technology involves capturing carbon from coal-fired power plants to store it in geological cavities under the earth's surface, "for example in exploited oil or gas fields or in sealed geological strata, thereby avoiding CO2 emissions into the atmosphere".
Another objective - also to be reached by 2020 - will be to "significantly reduce the cost of key energy technologies and promote their deployment and dissemination". The technologies will be determined later on in discussions with the Chinese, said Commission spokeswoman Barbara Helfferich.
In addition, a number of key areas have been identified for technical co-operation, aside from clean coal:
- Energy efficiency, renewable energy and energy conservation;
- Methane recovery and use
- Hydrogen (fuel cell)
- Power generation and transmission
