The transportation of captured carbon dioxide (CO2) from power stations is one of the key factors that must be resolved in the development of carbon capture and storage facilities.

On new power stations, CO2 transportation can be addressed on a case by case basis. However, we believe it makes much more sense to link a number of locations together to form a 'cluster'. This approach would effectively 'future proof' the system by allowing new facilities to connect quickly to a pipeline that would act as a carbon transportation system, much like the existing national grids for gas supplies and for electricity transmission.

We have conducted a review into potential clusters for the UK which has highlighted that a system operating in the South East, a Thames Cluster, could collect CO2 from major emitters on the Thames and Medway Estuaries - each of which has emissions in excess of one million tonnes per year, which add up to a projected 28 million tonnes of CO2 per year after 2016 based on planned new developments and closures.

Andy Read, Clean Coal Business Development Manager for E.ON in the UK, said: "Unsurprisingly, the Greater London area is the country's largest consumer of electricity. This is set not only to continue but to increase over time, particularly as we look to the electrification of transport. So while in the first instance, a Thames Cluster will allow the energy industry to massively reduce its carbon impact, it also represents an opportunity for the whole of the South East to decarbonise - a truly world-leading opportunity for the UK."

Oona Muirhead, Executive Director for Skills & Sustainable Prosperity, the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), said: "Ensuring clean and secure supplies of energy is vitally important to help businesses in the South East grow and to attract new inward investment. SEEDA is very supportive of carbon capture and storage (CCS) as coal-fired power stations are an integral part of the energy mix for the foreseeable future.

"A carbon cluster in the Thames Estuary that included Kingsnorth Power Station as well as other major power plants would fit very well with our low-carbon aspirations for the Thames Gateway and indeed the greater South East. We are working with our RDA colleagues and others to develop this idea of a Thames Estuary carbon cluster."

A copy of the full report can be downloaded below.

Capturing carbon, tackling climate change: A vision for a CCS cluster in the South East (PDF, 400KB)

Watch our animation below to see how the Thames Cluster would work.