5 December 2014: Panelists examined ‘The Ability of Clean Fossil and Non-Fossil Energy to Fulfill Sustainable Development’ at an event convened on the margins of the Lima Climate Change Conference by the Government of Saudi Arabia and the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute (GCCSI). The event explored the sustainable development and decarbonization contributions of both clean energy sources and technologies for capturing carbon from fossil energy sources.

The event recognized the reality that fossil fuel demand is growing and reserves are “robust,” while renewables’ share in total global energy demand remains low. Jane Ebinger, World Bank, noted the mixed results of pilot carbon capture and storage (CCS) activities, citing the challenges as, inter alia: creating strong regulatory frameworks to accelerate investment; establishing a long-term carbon price support mechanism; and research and development (R&D) to lower technology costs.

Paulina Serrano, Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), outlined the main challenges facing CCS deployment in Mexico, such as legal issues on responsibilities and liabilities; the management of inter-institutional coordination; and the need for economically-feasible CCS technologies that are adapted for both coal and natural gas uses.

Ahmed Aleidan, Saudi Aramco, discussed the company’s carbon management technology roadmap focusing on five areas: stationary carbon management; mobile carbon management; industrial applications; carbon dioxide sequestration; and carbon dioxide-enhanced oil recovery (EOR).

Mohammed Al Satty, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), described the next steps of KPC’s emissions management systems, such as conducting an external audit of its inventory and data controls, exploring behavior-based reduction opportunities, preparing for Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) and planning for climate adaptation.

Mohammed Al-Malki, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC)-Hadeed, described a sustainability campaign conducted among company staff, noting it yielded more than 141 innovative programmes to enhance energy efficiency, with a 5% reduction of the company’s emissions in 2013.

The discussion considered concerns on the economic feasibility of CCS compared to renewables, the environmental impacts of CCS and CCS’ role as a short-term solution. Responding to a question about why oil-rich United Arab Emirates (UAE) is classified as a developing country, Majid Al Suwaidi, UAE, noted that “development is not just about wealth,” highlighting UAE’s commitment through hosting the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and investing in renewables R&D around the world. [IISD RS ENBOTS Coverage] [IISD RS ENBOTS Video Coverage of Side Event] [IISD RS Coverage of Lima Climate Change Conference] [GCCSI Website] [Saudi Arabia at COP 20 Website]