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The government should confirm whether there will be no "back-sliding" in funding carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects after it abandoned plans for the UK's first coal-fired power plant with such technology, the Commons has heard.
Speaking during energy questions, shadow energy and climate change minister Tom Greatrex sought reassurances the £1bn funding would remain in place.
The ScottishPower plant at Longannet, Fife, had been the only remaining site in the government competition for funding worth up to £1bn to develop the technology.
However, energy secretary Chris Huhne yesterday announced that it would not be possible to reach a satisfactory deal on the scheme and as a result the project will not go forward.
Greatrex told MPs: "One such opportunity to increase employment in the low carbon energy sector was scuppered yesterday by the announcement of the government they are pulling out of the CCS demonstrator at Longannet.
"Will the minister now please confirm to the House that there will be no back-sliding by the Treasury, that the £1bn funding will definitely be in place and will be used to get four CCS demonstration projects in place for the future?"
In response, Huhne said he could confirm that there is £1bn available to support carbon capture and storage.
He told MPs the government aims to look at CCS in the "most effective way possible" so it can ensure that the industry is rolled out and that there is a lead in the industry and so strategic objectives can be met.
Greatrex said he was grateful for the response and that he hoped "to see that coming to fuition".
Lindsay Roy (Lab, Glenrothes) said that carbon capture and storage plans had turned into "farce" following the abandonment of plans at Longannet.
Huhne said: "I would very much like to have proceeded on the project at Longannet but that in no way undermines the commitment both for the budget - £1bn available for carbon capture and storage - and our belief that we can proceed to get an up-and-running commercial project within that budget."
He added: "The specifics, once we had gone through the front-end engineering design studies, were very clear that there were specifics to the Longannet project, including the costs of the transfer of carbon into the reservoirs which were high and, as a result, we could not do carbon capture and storage at Longannet, compared with where we believe we can do it elsewhere."
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