An internal Energy Department report had warned that cancelling the project would set back the advance of carbon-storage technology by "at least 10 years".
An official of the island's Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum has specified that any companies extracting hydrocarbons in the neighbourhood must also develop and use carbon-storage technology.
Gas is relatively clean, but it is expensive and its main supplier, Russia, has alarmed European countries by periodically choking off oil and gas supplies to those (such as Ukraine and Belarus) that fall out of favour.The great temptation is therefore to revert to coal, which is cheap, abundant in Germany and, at least until carbon-storage technology is ready, bad for global warming.
The sensible energy and climate change plan for the UK, MacKay said, was for the country to focus on nuclear power and carbon capture storage technology, which traps the carbon dioxide from fossil fuel burning.
In Britain, the government is pouring about £1 billion into carbon capture and storage technology (where the carbon from power stations is liquefied and stored in depleted oil fields under the North Sea).
These would include the development of tidal power plants, wave generators and carbon capture and storage technology – which would extract carbon dioxide from coal and oil plants and pump it into underground chambers.
Less than a tenth of the gas power is projected to have carbon capture and storage technology fitted to trap and bury carbon dioxide emissions.
Our leadership role is best promoted by the actions we take on capping emissions, carbon pricing and supporting the development of new CCS (carbon capture and storage) technology.
"I think the government can see sense in using carbon capture and storage technology because it helps transition to a fully low carbon future so if we can get the technology right then it is cost effective, renewable energy".
"Carbon capture and storage technology implemented on a commercial scale would drive a significant reduction in carbon emissions from fossil fuels, increasing our security of supply, and presenting enormous opportunities for Scotland".
