The world’s first retrofit of a power plant with carbon capture and storage technology will begin operating in April in the south of France, The Guardian reported.

Energy company Total has upgraded an existing gas-fired boiler at a power plant in Lacq.

Philippe Paelinck of Alstom, the engineeering company that designed and built the carbon capture and storage equipment, told the newspaper: “We first proved the feasibility of retrofitting an installation to carbon capture and storage, but also this will be the first demonstration in Europe of [carbon capture and storage] with [existing] integrated CO2 pipeline transportation and storage,” Paelinck is quoted as saying.

Total reportedly chose to test oxyfuel because of potential future cost savings, but it is still looking into other emissions reducing technologies.

The Guardian reports that plans for government-funded carbon capture and storage demonstration plants across Europe have been moving slowly. The EU wants 12 demonstration plants in operation next decade and has reserved 300 million carbon credits from the next stage of the European emissions trading scheme to help fund the technology, the paper said.