WEC Committee on Cleaner Fossil Fuels Systems (CFFS)

Committee

In 1999 the World Energy Council created a Cleaner Fossil Fuels Systems (CFFS) Committee with the objective to discuss and promote knowledge worldwide on the research, development, demonstration and deployment of cleaner fossil fuels systems to meet global energy needs. Global energy use is projected to increase by 53% during 2004 – 2030. Fossil fuels are critical to meeting global economic development and energy security needs. Their share is even expected to increase from 81% in 2004 to 82% in 2030. Production and consumption of every form of fossil fuel will increase in order to meet needs (IEA 2006).

Use of fossil fuels could have major local, regional and global environmental impacts, and the environmental challenge is great. Cleaner systems mitigate and even neutralize the adverse consequences of the use of fossil fuels and permit their positive qualities to be enjoyed for economic and social development. The technology for these systems is advancing rapidly.

Mandate

Stakeholders ought to understand the high value of these systems in order to ensure that cleaner fossil energy systems will be used and that fossil energy will be sustainable - hence, the aim of the Committee to ensure that a broad range of stakeholders appreciate the sound potential of these systems to ensure affordable yet sustainable use of fossil fuels. To achieve this mission, the Committee:

provides a forum for energy experts, decision makers and consumers to discuss the role of cleaner fossil fuel technologies
exchanges information, creates networks, elaborates proposals, and introduces recommendations for the worldwide deployment of such technologies, including to developing countries
addresses barriers and critical issues that may hamper the advancement of cleaner fossil fuel systems and encourages governments, investors and financial institutions to deploy innovative fossil fuel technologies proactively.

Activities

The Committee endeavors to achieve these goals mainly through seminars and roundtables organized throughout the world in: Ankara (Turkey, 1999), Krakow (Poland, 1999), Dakar (Senegal, 2000), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil, 2001), Buenos Aires (Argentina, 2001), Washington, D.C. (USA, 2002), Warsaw (Poland, 2002), Cairo (Egypt, 2002), Kiev (Ukraine, 2003), Sydney (Australia, 2004), Erice (Italy, 2005), Colombo (Sri Lanka, 2005), Neptun (Romania, 2006), Tallinn (Estonia, 2006), Moscow (Russia, 2006), and Amman (Jordan 2007).

Focus on carbon capture and storage

The WEC/CFFS Committee recently released the Carbon Capture and Storage: a WEC an "Interim Balance" report.

The Discussion Session on “Cleaner Fossil Fuels – The Cornerstone for Human Development and Energy Security,” held in Sydney (Australia) on 8 September 2004 at the occasion of the 19th World Energy Congress placed carbon capture and storage in the general context of sustainable development and mitigation of energy poverty.

The Workshop held in Erice (Sicily) on August 24, 2005 focused on “Carbon Capture and Storage – A Way Forward for Cleaner Fossil Fuels Systems”. It was a unique event because it was organized upon invitation of the World Federation of Scientists (WFS) and was held in the prestigious International Centre for Scientific Culture in Erice. Prof. Richard Wilson, Chairman of WFS-Energy PMP (Permanent Monitoring Panel), and the CFFS Committee Chair Barbara McKee, jointly chaired the Workshop.

On 7 September 2005, the CFFS Committee organized a dialogue on “Cleaner Fossil Fuel Systems with Carbon Capture and Storage – What’s In It for the Developing World?” in Colombo (Sri Lanka), at the occasion of the Executive Assembly of the World Energy Council.

“Cleaner Fossil Fuels for Sustainable Development” was the topic of a workshop organized jointly by the CFFS Committee and the Craiova Power Energy Complex on 13 June 2006, at the occasion of the WEC Regional Forum FOREN06 in Neptun (Romania).

“Focused lectures on global and regional efforts toward carbon capture and storage” were given at a workshop organized by the CFFS Committee in Tallinn (Estonia) on 4 September 2006, at the occasion of the Executive Assembly of the WEC.

“Cleaner fossil fuels for power generation” were discussed at a workshop organized jointly by the CFFS Committee and the All-Russian Thermal Engineering Institute (VTI) in Moscow on 3 September 2006.

On 25 April 2006, the CFFS Committee and the Arab Union of Electricity Producers, Transmitters and Distributors held a workshop on “Mitigating the growing contributions of West Asia in global emissions” in Amman (Jordan).

At the occasion of the 20th World Energy Congress in Rome, an event on “Fossil fuels leading the clean energy revolution” was held on 12 November 2004.

Outreach

The above-mentioned events created a wealth of information that called for dissemination. Hence, this brochure aims at informing a broader audience about the Committee’s assessment of the present status of carbon dioxide capture and storage. The assessment is gauged against the double need to control climate change and to advance on the road of economic development. As carbon capture and storage develops, “interim balances” rather than final conclusions are in order, of which the present 2007 Edition is the second.

The Committee naturally concentrates on the papers generated under its auspices and enumerated in Annex A. The pamphlet places main references at the end of each chapter. Interested readers may wish to access papers with the help of the Annex.

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Carbon Capture and Storage after Copenhagen: An Imperative, Not An Option Montreal, Canada September 14, 2010