On December 5, 2017, Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy (ASFE) Steven Winberg led the Policy Group meeting at the 7th Ministerial Meeting of the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry represented the U.S. as co-chair of the ministerial meeting. 

The CSLF is a 26-member international initiative focused on the development of cost-effective carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies. Twenty five countries and the European Commission are represented in the organization, which holds a ministerial-level conference every two years.

The UAE, represented by Minister of Energy Suhail Al Mazrouei, hosted and co-chaired this year’s conference.

The CSLF, which fosters international collaboration to address key challenges to CCUS technology development and deployment, consists of a Technical Group chaired by Norway and a Policy Group chaired by the U.S., which is responsible for addressing the legal, regulatory, and financial issues associated with CCUS technologies. During the meeting of the Policy Group, Assistant Secretary Winberg noted the “encouraging movement toward increased international support for CCUS.” He pointed out, however, that the technologies still faced hurdles to commercialization. “That means the CSLF still has important work to do,” he said.

In addition to leading the Policy Group, Assistant Secretary Winberg spoke about the opportunities for CCUS in the United States during a panel session chaired by Secretary Perry. He addressed successful CCUS projects supported by the Department of Energy, including the Air Products and Petra Nova projects. He also pointed out that CCUS commercialization requires effective policies that encourage investment in the technologies. “More robust policies for CCUS would provide financing and market certainty needed for deployment, and support to develop CCUS supply chains, commercial infrastructure, and private investment,” he said.

At the conclusion of their discussions, the Ministers and Heads of Delegation of the CSLF Members released a communique detailing eight key actions agreed upon in the meeting as being necessary for global CCUS technology deployment. The communique highlighted continued collaborative research and development as the optimal path for disseminating best practices for CCUS technology development and deployment globally.