CERTH/ISFTA collaborates with research institutes from Europe, Asia, the USA, Canada and Australia through exchanges of technical visits, co-operative research, know-how exchange and personnel training. In addition, CERTH/ISFTA is member of the IEA Implementing Agreement for Cooperation in the Field of Fluidised Bed Combustion (FBC) of Fuels Applied to Clean Energy Production, the Network of Organisations for the Promotion of Energy Technologies (OPET Network) and the SEEC Network Agreement for co-operation with the aim to research, develop and implement new energy efficient and ecologically acceptable technologies applied to power production and chemical and environmental engineering of the South-East European Countries.
At national level, CERTH/ISFTA has a leading role in the implementation of the Regional Technology Platform of Western Macedonia Innovation Pole, which aims at identifying and overcoming the barriers for the development of efficient low emission power production, including CCS technologies. Within the framework of a contract with Public Power Corporation S.A. (PPC) CERTH/ISFTA has recently initiated a techno economic study related to the feasibility of a CCS Demo project in North Greece. The assessment of the Health-Safety-Environmental (HSE) risks associated with potential CO2 geological storage projects is one of the main tasks included in this study.
Within the project CERTH/ISFTA will lead the Sub WP 3.3 (Assessing potential impacts in the terrestrial environment – southern Europe) within the WP3 through the conduction of sampling, field measurements and geochemical, biological, and botanic analyses of natural CO
2 seeps in Greece and Italy (Florina, San Vittorino, Latera). The assessment of the impacts on reservoir rock, matrix, soil and ground waters as well as to terrestrial ecosystems from CO
2 leakage will provide an input to Sub WP 4.1. (Terrestrial system modelling). CERTH/ISFTA is highly capable of providing advanced tools, equipment, laboratories and test facilities for meeting the project objectives and will also effectively promote the dissemination activities of EuroVEF (Task 5.3) to relevant stakeholders and the general public at national level through existing well established communication channels.