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Zero Emission Platform supPOrt Secretariat

Final Report Summary - ZEPPOS (Zero Emission Platform supPOrt Secretariat)

ZEPPOS has achieved its objective: to provide the requested level of support to ETP-ZEP. The ZEP platform will continue its activities after the end of the ZEPPOS contract for a period of at least 3 years and the secretariat will continue to support ZEP. The continuation of ZEP and its secretariat are expected to have a profound impact on the future on the implementation of Carbon Capture and Storage in Europe and therefore on the European climate policy and -goals.

ZEPPOS (Zero Emission Platform supPOrt Secretariat) is the secretariat that provided support for the European Technology Platform for Zero Emission Fossil Fuel Power Plants (ETP-ZEP) for the period May 2009- October 2011.

Founded in 2005, the Zero Emissions Platform (ZEP) is one of 36 European Technology Platforms initiated by the European Commission ("The Commission") to bring together stakeholders to "guide the development and deployment of key technologies that will result in greater competitiveness, growth and sustainability in the European Union (EU)" - including CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS). ZEP represents a unique coalition of stakeholders united in their support for CCS as a key technology for combating climate change - within a portfolio of technologies, including greater energy efficiency and renewable energy. CCS is the single biggest lever for reducing CO2 emissions - providing almost 20% of the global cuts required by 2050. Members include European utilities, petroleum companies, equipment suppliers, national geological surveys, academic institutions and environmental NGOs2. The goal of ZEP: to make CCS commercially available by 2020 and kick-start wide-scale deployment.

Over 200 people from 19 countries actively contribute to ZEP's activities. ZEP's organization consists of several bodies that each are supported by the ZEP secretariat:
The Advisory Council (AC) is the body within ZEP that makes all the decisions, whose members are elected by the AC itself. Its mission: to develop and establish a joint vision for ZEP, ensuring its strategic relevance within a European and global context. This includes setting the overall scope, strategic goals, performance targets and deliverables, and steering the Platform's technical and non- technical operations. The AC convenes, on average, every quarter.
The Executive Committee (ACEC) that consists of a Chairperson and five Vice-Chairs. Each Vice-Chair represents a key stakeholder group (oil and gas industry, equipment suppliers, utilities, NGOs and research institutes). Accountable to the AC for all its actions and decisions, the ACEC is responsible for initiating and steering urgent actions on behalf of the AC when it is not in the position to do so, e.g. in-between AC meetings. The ACEC has monthly telephone conferences, dinners the night before each AC meeting and will convene whenever needed.
Four Taskforces which prepare for decision-making by the AC. Membership is open to all relevant stakeholders and is not restricted to organisations represented within the AC: Taskforce Demonstration and Implementation (TFDI), Taskforce Technology (TFT), Taskforce Policy and Regulation (TFPR) and Taskforce Public Communication (TFPC). Taskforces convene on average every quarter, or as required.