US and China Announce Further Collaboration on CCS

The US-China Climate Change Working Group recently announced a set of cooperative mitigation initiatives, including a new joint CCUS program.  Specifically, the US and China will work to set up multiple integrated CCUS demonstration projects in both countries.  According to a new report from the Working Group, "The United States and China will undertake a three-tiered effort to identify integrated project sites; develop joint scientific and technical monitoring programs to manage information and lessons learned from the projects; and explore business-to-business joint cooperation for scaling up CCUS deployment."  In addition, a "regular high-level policy dialogue" will be held to exchange relevant information and ideas.  The Working Group also announced other "action initiatives" on vehicle emissions, smart grid, emissions data collection and management, and energy efficiency.

The bilateral Working Group was established in April of this year, and is scheduled to release detailed implementation plans for each new initiative by October.  The Obama Administration recently renewed its regulatory push to require CCS for all new coal plants (see EPA Advancing CCS Rule for New Power Plants, 7/5).  China's powerful National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) also recently published formal guidance on mandatory promotion of CCUS by all government entities (see China Issues CCUS Policy Statement, 7/11).