Q+A-China's carbon capture options and plans

By Emma Graham-Harrison

BEIJING, Nov 4 (Reuters) - China, the world's top emitter of greenhouse gases, is aiming for many more years of rapid growth fuelled by coal as its main energy source. Scientists are stepping up efforts to limit emissions by capturing and storing them.

But experts say the technology for carbon capture and storage (CCS), as the technology for confining emissions is usually known, is costly and parts of it are unproven.

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Here are some key questions and answers about CCS in China:

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF CCS?

The technology would in theory allow China to continue fuelling growth with coal, while controlling or even cutting the amount of carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere.

Some carbon-stripping technology could be retro-fitted onto existing power plants, avoiding the need to start rebuilding chunks of the nation's power infrastructure from scratch.

WHAT ARE THE DRAWBACKS?