Events

How to achieve net zero emission is a major political challenge policy-makers are confronted with. One of the sectors that has a critical role in net zero emission endeavor is the energy sector. Among energy sub-sectors the most important one is power generation. A major challenge in decarbonizing this sector in support to the achievement of a net zero economy is how to deal with existing coal-dominant power system. Basically, there are two alternatives to decarbonize it i.e., to phase down coal or to continue relying with coal but equipped with car-bon capture and storage (CCS) technology. Both choices have their own challenges. Coal phase out/down is a complex transition for coal producing and consuming countries requiring designing and implementing socially just, economically viable and publicly acceptable frame-works. CCS is a relatively new technology, not proven at scale in commercial terms which needs to meet some specific technical requirements such as availability of underground storage. Moreover, these choices need to be embedded in a broader context of international developments that may affect the coal sector, including access to finance, international energy markets or trade regulations for high carbon footprint export commodities. With this background this event is intended to seek for answers to coal-based power capacity decarbonization by discussing/sharing ideas and experiences related to the consideration of the previously mentioned challenges.