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History of the IEA Clean Coal Centre | ||||
The IEA Clean Coal Centre (CCC) was established in 1975 in the wake of the oil crisis by the International Energy Agency (IEA) which is itself part of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The aim of the IEA is to foster co-operation among the twenty-four participating countries in order to increase energy security through diversification of energy supply, cleaner and more efficient use of energy, and energy conservation. This is achieved, in part, through a programme of collaborative research and development of which the IEA Clean Coal Centre is by far the largest and the longest established single project. The Clean Coal Centre is one of over 40 active programmes, or Implementing Agreements, of the IEA. The Implementing Agreement framework provides a legal mechanism for establishing the commitments of the participants and a management structure. The IEA Clean Coal Centre is a non-profit organisation funded primarily by member subscriptions which means that there is no political or commercial influence on the research and information provided by the organisation. The IEA Clean Coal Centre is governed by representatives of member countries, the European Commission, and industrial sponsors who decide the programme of work which includes major studies of importance for all countries involved in the use or supply of coal. The IEA Clean Coal Centre is based in London with a team of approximately 25, largely made up of engineers, scientists and information specialists. The Centre is a leading producer of unbiased research on the global use of coal. For the first 9 years of its life until 1984, IEACCC operated as 4 distinct services, each with their own membership. They were the Economic Assessment Service, The Technical Information Service, the World Coal Resources and Reserves Databank Service and the Mining Technology Clearing House. Then in 1984, they were merged into a single entity with a common membership known as IEA Coal Research. It operated in offices close by the British Coal Corporation in central south-west London. British Coal was the managing agent, or Operating Agent under the terms of the Implementing Agreement and provided services and some staff. In 1989 it moved to its current office in Putney, south-west London. The early 1990s saw the demise of British Coal and the sale of its assets into private ownership. The Operating Agency passed to CRE Group which was then sold on to Rio Tinto plc and Rio Tinto became the parent company in 2004.
The growth in power demand in Asia has seen a shift in the proportionate use of coal away from OECD countries where, for example China was commissioning one new coal-fired power station every 10 days in 2008-2009. By comparison, Europe is installing replacement power stations only with the proviso that coal-fired stations must be equipped with carbon capture and storage equipment.
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