The Clean Coal Race

                                    

It’s like an arms race but for clean coal: whoever can develop reliable carbon sequestration techniques first will have a leg up on marketing this technology to the rest of the world – especially in places where electricity demand and coal use are rapidly increasing.

The BBC just published an article about Australia’s first underground carbon storage facility. Their dedication to carbon sequestration testing may prove to be a future financial boon if they can export their technology to places like Pakistan, which has a booming appetite for electricity and what has been estimated as the world's third-largest known coal reserves.

It is unlikely that a developing nation such as Pakistan will develop clean coal technology on its own. In order to save money, traditional coal-generated power plants – the cheapest option – will most likely be built. But if proven clean coal technology was readily available to developing countries building new power-generation stations, nations like Pakistan could start out ahead of the game.

Remember, no matter what is happening here in the discussions over coal, there is no stopping its use in developing countries. We already export coal – and if we lead the way in creating and implementing the best ways to use it, we’ll be exporting U.S.-developed technology as well.