Polish news

Conference on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)

On 13 January 2009, in Warsaw, Dr. Henryk Jacek Jezierski, Polish Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of the Environment, Chief National Geologist, participated to conference titled „Target: Poland a Leader in the field of the CCS - Carbon Capture and Sequestration. Step One: Political and Legal Framework". The Conference was prepared by Demos-Europe Centre for European Strategy.

During the Conference, Dr. Henryk Jacek Jezierski presented the opportunities to prospecting the possibilities for geological storage of CO2 in Poland that is one of the major gaols of the Polish environmental sector. The respective legal framework for managing the activities aimed at underground CO2 storage is sought for in Poland pursuant to the Draft Background Document to amend the Act on Geological and Mining Law as prepared by Ministry of the Environment in order to implement the CCS Directive.

The Chief National Geologist addressed also the opportunities to geological storage of CO2 in Poland by means of implementation of project commissioned by Ministry of the Environment on Prospecting geological structures and formations for safe geological storage of CO2 including their monitoring programme. This project is financed with resources provided by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.

Other questions presented by Dr. Henryk Jacek Jezierski include construction of a pilot well for pressure pumping CO2 into deep saline aquifers and implementation of the Polish CCS demonstration projects financed with the Community resources.

The results of the demonstration projects will provide for making decision on possible future nature of application of the CCS technology in Poland, particularly in the field of deep saline geological strata.

Source: Polish Ministry of the Environment