In an effort to reduce carbon emissions in the world’s biggest carbon dioxide emitting country, the project will retrofit carbon capture technology to existing Chinese coal-fired power stations.

New South Wales Minerals Council chief executive Nikki Williams said the initiative had the potential to reduce China’s coal power station emissions by 85%.

“China plans to build 500 new coal-fired power stations over the next 10 years and the Chinese are building the equivalent of a city the size of Brisbane every month,” Williams said.

“This CSIRO initiative, which is placing Australian research and development experts on the ground in China at the same time as we are sending our athletes to Beijing, has the potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power stations by more than 85 percent.”

The council said the post-combustion capture was one of the more promising carbon capture and storage technologies being developed, due to its capacity to be retrofitted and CO2 stored in geological formations.

Earlier this week Australia’s Federal Government took steps towards reducing the country’s coal emissions through the newly established National Low Emissions Coal Council and Carbon Storage Taskforce.

The two new bodies will guide Australia’s push towards low-emission coal technologies.