Pioneering carbon capture trials

Power firm Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) has been given the go-ahead to develop a five megawatt carbon capture test plant at its Ferrybridge Power Station, near the A1 and M62 junction in West Yorkshire.

The 21m project, unveiled in November, aims to demonstrate the viability of a technology scientists believe could prove a major tool in reducing global carbon emissions.

Power station manager Mick Gee said SSE will be working closely with academics from across Britain to capture harmful carbon emissions from the coal-fired plant before they are released into the atmosphere.

Experts hope vast amounts of carbon can eventually be captured in this way and stored safely beneath the North Sea.

"Having one of the world's largest trials of this nature is a really exciting development for Yorkshire," Mr Gee said. "We will be working closely with educational establishments, including the University of Leeds, to build up a strong knowledge and understanding of this new technology."

The project has been granted 6.3m by the Department for Energy and Climate Change.