E.ON and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council have announced the award of £6.9 million of research funding to four university-led projects investigating carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies which could drastically cut CO2 emissions from fossil-fuel power stations.

CCS is a process that allows carbon dioxide to be captured from power stations and then stored underground to prevent it from entering the Earth's atmosphere. It's a technology that is advancing all the time and could well make fossil-fuelled generation a true low-carbon source of energy.

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Project teams led by the universities of Nottingham, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Leeds will investigate combustion and CO2 capture and transport technologies that could help make a crucial step towards meeting UK and global emission reduction targets.

Announcing the funding, Dr Paul Golby, Chief Executive of E.ON UK, said: "CCS is the most important technology we have in the fight against climate change - if we can get it right then we can look forward to a secure, low carbon energy future for the UK.

"Alongside new nuclear and renewable sources, coal is a vital part of our energy mix. These latest research projects are vital in identifying solutions that will enable fossil-fuel generation to be a key part of maintaining secure, affordable and low carbon energy.

"Collaborations such as this one with EPSRC are combining innovation and some of the best minds in our universities to deliver clean, sustainable energy systems for the future."

The UK is committed to reducing carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. In the short-term the Government advisory body, the Committee for Climate Change, has suggested an interim cut of at least 34% by 2020.

(CD/JM)