Japan To Permit Carbon Capture and Storage in Seabed

The Upper House of Japan's parliament passed a bill on May 23, 2007 during its plenary session to amend the national Law Relating to Prevention of Marine Pollution and Maritime Disaster. The amendment, promulgated on May 30, provides a regulatory framework for carbon capture and storage (CCS) in sub-seabed geological formations.

The amended law stipulates a permit system under which businesses involved in CCS are to apply for a license issued by the Environment Minister. To obtain the license, applicants will be required to properly operate and monitor CCS activities, select suitable CO2 storage sites carefully and take adequate measures to prevent impacts on the marine environment. Meanwhile the government is obliged to review and renew licenses every five years and provide citizens with opportunities for public comment.

The 1996 London Protocol (of the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter) allows CCS in the seabed only when capturing CO2 from marine facilities, but Japan's amended law covers all sub-seabed CCS activities, including those that take CO2 from land-based sources.


http://www.env.go.jp/en/wpaper/2007/01_chpt3.pdf

Posted: 2007/10/14 05:35:42 PM
Japanese version