Low Emissions Coal and Gas

While fossil fuels like coal have been a major cause of climate change, they can also be part of the solution. This section shows how the development of commercially viable clean fossil fuel technologies will be particularly important to Victoria, given our large resources of brown coal, gas and carbon dioxide storage sites.

• Gas – is an essential part of the transition to a low carbon economy. Gas currently plays a limited but important role in Victorian electricity generation.  Gas-fired electricity generation is used largely to meet our peak energy demands in summer.  As a result, although gas provided less than 5% of all our electricity in 2008, gas-fired power stations represent 20% of the total installed capacity in Victoria.  Gas may also help meet demand when electricity from renewable energy falls unexpectedly (for example, when wind speeds drop).
• Coal – next generation coal fired plants and ‘low emissions coal technologies’ refer to the various approaches used to reduce emissions from coal powered electricity generation, including coal drying, coal gasification and carbon capture and storage (CCS).
• Carbon capture and storage - involves collecting the carbon dioxide released by power stations or other industries then storing these emissions securely, deep underground. 
• Cogeneration - is a process where waste heat from electricity generation is used for other purposes like domestic and commercial heating and cooling, or for industrial processes such as fruit packaging.  This means more energy is used constructively, increasing efficiency and reducing carbon pollution.