China called for wider promotion of carbon capture and storage, or CCS, efforts in major emitting sectors such as coal-fired plants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.

The government will further encourage CCS demonstration projects in coal chemical and coal-fired plants, as well as steel and cement industries, the department of Climate Change of the National Development and Reform Commission said in a recent statement.

CCS is an emerging technical means of reducing carbon dioxide emissions, however, commercialization of the technology still faces great uncertainties worldwide due to its high costs and safety concerns.

To explore ways of overcoming hurdles to its commercialization, China aims to establish a well-rounded demonstration system consisting of different technical roadmaps as well as a batch of representative demonstration projects and industrial bases, said the statement.

At the same time, the government will adopt stimulus mechanisms and preferential tax and land policies to promote CCS technology and widen financing channels for these projects.

China has seen CCS efforts as a key technical option for cutting emissions, as coal remains the primary source of energy in China. The utilization of the captured carbon has also been highlighted, also called carbon capture, storage and utilization, or CCUS, in China.