The Federal Government founded Global Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Institute has opened its first Chinese office in Beijing.

Federal Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson, said that the establishment of the Beijing office highlights the important role that China plays in the development of world-leading low-emissions and abatement technologies.

China accounts for the largest share of projected growth in global energy use, with its demand rising by 60 per cent by 2035,” Minister Ferguson said.

“Australia and China rely heavily on coal for power generation, which provides a strong incentive for both countries to work together on the uptake of technologies that reduce carbon emissions.

“China’s inherent economies of scale, and world-leading experience in research and development, make it of critical importance to the deployment of clean energy technologies worldwide.

The Global CCS Institute also has regional offices in Europe, North America and Japan.

The Institute has an international Membership base of 368 government, industry, non-government and research organisations from around the world.  The Institute’s Membership covers more than 80 per cent of the world’s CO2 emissions from energy and industrial sources.

In addition to its support for the institute, the Australian Government is investing over $2 billion in a range of measures to assist the development of low-emissions technologies, including the CCS Flagships program.