FUTURE OF CARBON CAPTURE

That this House believes in a low carbon economy, but that coal is a crucial bridge to that low carbon economy and with commercially deployable Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and ultra-super critical coal fired power stations, coal can be, and should be, part of that UK low carbon energy generation mix way beyond 2025; further believes a vibrant UK coal industry is also essential for the UK cement, steel and carbon fibre industries; notes that coal provides low cost electricity generation capacity, thereby helping to keep consumer bills low and maintaining electricity market flexibility; further notes that coal mined in the UK creates jobs in the UK, reduces the distance coal has to travel, thereby saving carbon in transportation, helps reduce the balance of trade deficit, ensures it is mined in a safe manner to the highest environmental and labour force standards, supports local businesses who provide support services to UK surface coal mines, keeps money and skills within the UK and increases the security of supply of power by reducing reliance on foreign countries for imported fuel; notes that coal is one of the best fuels for base load requirements and for black starts, and is easily stored; and urges the Government to ensure that in its forthcoming review about coal it considers how it can best support the UK coal industry with significant CCS research and development funding measures by moderating the carbon floor price and encouraging UK coal fired power stations to buy UK produced coal over imported coal.