Zero emission power plants as a chance for coal

During the conference on  the assumptions of the European Green Deal in the context of energy security, Angelos Kokkinos, the representative of the clean coal and fossil energy department at the United States Department of Energy, discussed the activities undertaken in the US to create and then implement modern technologies that would allow use of coal in the energy sector, but in a zero-emission way. Kokkinos pointed out that: "The development of zero-emission technology for a coal-fired power plant is one of our priorities - not only for the needs of the US, but also for other countries that will burn coal in the coming decades. We need a new product on the market that will fit today's reality."Coal-based, but zero-emission power plants mean not only stability and reliability, but above all, almost zero CO₂ emissions. These power plants are to be characterized by the innovation of their technologies and modular construction or low power, around 50-150 MW. The first pilot implementation will be available soon, at the turn of 2026/27. The expert estimates that global coal consumption will increase to over 9 billion tons, i.e. about 1 billion tons more than in 2019. Therefore, ecological use of this solid fuel is undoubtedly a promising opportunity, especially since, as Kokkinos emphasizes: "You can't have a modern economies without fossil fuels, including coal. Those who say we can get rid of all fossil fuels are not realists."