LATROBE City Council will lobby the Federal Government to establish a multi-million dollar global carbon capture research institute in the region.
Latrobe City councillor, Graeme Middlemiss will put forward a motion at tonight's council meeting, calling for council to write to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd requesting the Australian arm of the Global Institute on Carbon Capture be based in the Latrobe Valley.
It is understood the letter would detail the advantages of using the Valley for carbon capture research.
Cr Middlemiss believes the institute has the potential to create thousands of jobs for the Valley and offset possible losses from the proposed emissions trading scheme (ETS).
``I thought if we're going to spend $100 million of Commonwealth money on research then this is the ideal place to do that research,'' Cr Middlemiss said.
``We have a university out there that is screaming for research and it would be great to be associated with that.
``What better offset is there, as it will create work, employment activity here and if there is going to be a negative impact on us because of an ETS, what better way to start with the offsets by concentrating some of the research down here?''
The research facility would seek to speed up the development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology.
CCS is a process where CO2 is captured, transported to a site and injected deep underground for long-term, safe and secure storage.
Professor Ross Garnaut's final Climate Change Review predicted an ETS could severely impact the Latrobe Valley's power generators and its consumers.
Generators would be forced to spend millions, if not billions, to pay for permits for every tonne of carbon emitted and these costs could be shouldered by the consumer, in the form of higher electricity prices.
Cr Middlemiss believes the institute could be a ``first step'' in repairing potential damage caused by an ETS to the Valley.
He added the Rudd Government was aware of the issues the Valley was facing.
``If Garnaut is correct, and the generators seem to be still making their dire predictions about the emissions scheme, if there is some truth in what Garnaut is predicting, we are going to suffer an economic whack,'' Cr Middlemiss said.
``So what I'm saying is if all your (Federal Government) reports are going to hurt us here's an opportunity, just to start to do something with the money.
``The damage looks like it will be caused here... and I think by getting in first we might actually twig their conscience and (federal ) Energy Minister Martin Ferguson has been sympathetic in the past, he has shown to be understanding.''
Cr Middlemiss said the institute wasn't the final solution in easing economic pressures caused by an ETS, but it was a step in the right direction.
He said research generated by the institute would help create infrastructure and machinery and in turn stimulate manufacturing and design jobs.
Loy Yang Power recently captured CO2 in Australia from coal-fired electricity generation at its Latrobe Valley Post Combustion Capture project.
About 80 per cent of Australia's electricity generation comes from coal-fired power stations.
Coal is now Australia's largest source of export earning, bringing in an estimated $43 billion, according to the Federal Government.
Latrobe City will tonight decide whether it should formally approach the Prime Minister over the global institute concept.
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