Japan, Australian state of Victoria to collaborate on cleaner energy

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The Victorian state government has signed a ground-breaking agreement with Japan that strengthens global efforts to reduce future greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power generation.

Energy and Resources Minister Peter Batchelor said Monday that the Victorian government and Japan Coal Energy Centre (JCOAL) would collaborate on clean coal technologies. “The Brumby Labor government is taking action to change Victoria’s energy mix by investigating ways to cut greenhouse emissions from coal,” Batchelor said.

“This agreement is an exciting opportunity for Victoria, putting us at the forefront of clean-coal technology development, which will help us attract further investment and create new jobs. Japan Coal Energy Centre is an internationally respected non-profit organization working to cut CO2 emissions from coal-fired power generation,” Batchelor said.

Victoria and JCOAL will focus on high-efficiency next-generation power plants, coal gasification, carbon capture and storage (CCS), efficiency improvements for existing coal-fired power stations and coal to liquids.

Batchelor said some of the collaborative work under the new agreement would focus on CCS, which had the potential to make deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions. “Through a number of research projects, Victoria has already positioned itself as a global leader in CCS,” he said.

Australia has the second largest deposit of brown coal in the world – 90% of which is in Victoria. The state’s coal reserves have the capacity to supply energy for another 500 years.

Batchelor said a growing global demand for energy meant there was an increasing interest in Victorian brown coal. “The development of new technology could soon make it possible to use brown coal in a variety of products, including methanol and dimethyl ether (DME), low-emission liquid fuels for transport and fertiliser production,” he said.