Carbon Capture and Storage Association welcomes Royal Assent for the Energy Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE [26 October 2023] 

• The Energy Bill will stimulate investments in clean technologies such as carbon capture and storage, overhaul the UK’s energy system, ensure consumer protection, and maintain the national energy infrastructure’s safety, security, and resilience. 
• The Carbon Capture Storage Association welcomes a new Ofgem duty to consider the UK’s net-zero target after campaigning for the change to the Bill. 

The Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA) welcomes the Royal Assent of the Energy Bill today, the first major legislation enabling net zero technologies such as carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) for over a decade.  

The new Energy Act aligns UK legislation with global sustainability goals by leveraging investments in clean technologies, reforming the energy system to protect consumers, and enhancing safety and resilience. The CCSA strongly supported the legislation as it is critical to the race towards net zero.  

Following a campaign to amend the Bill by the CCSA on behalf of the industry, Ofgem now has a duty to prioritise the UK’s net zero target. This is a significant step towards giving the regulator the right powers to balance the needs of current and future transportation of CO₂, which is necessary to achieve the government’s goal to capture and store 20-30 million tonnes of CO₂ annually by 2030.  

Olivia Powis, UK Director at the CCSA said: 

“The CCSA welcomes Royal Assent for the Energy Bill, which provides the enabling legislation for CCUS business models, and builds on significant progress for the technology this year. 

To fully capitalise on this opportunity, we encourage the Government to commit to timely cluster delivery, a transparent deployment plan to 2035, streamlined permitting processes, a robust supply chain and enhanced public support. 

Measures in the new Energy Act will enable us to unlock the full potential of CCUS and further advance our nation toward a cleaner, more sustainable future, helping to ensure the UK’s Green Economy has the opportunity to lead the next Industrial Revolution.”

Ends  

Notes to Editors   

CCUS, or Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage, is a key low carbon solution – vital to meeting the UK’s statutory Net Zero target at least cost. CCUS enables the production of clean power, clean products (such as steel and cement) and clean hydrogen – which can then be used to decarbonise heating and transport. In addition, CCUS also enables greenhouse gas removal from the atmosphere through Direct Air Capture with Storage (DACS) or Bioenergy with CCS (BECCS).     

The CCSA is the trade association promoting the commercial deployment of CCUS. We work with members, governments and other organisations to ensure CCUS is developed and deployed at the pace and scale necessary to meet net zero goals and deliver sustainable growth across regions and nations.   

The CCSA currently has 116 member companies who are active in exploring and developing different applications of carbon capture, CO₂ transportation by pipeline and ship, utilisation, geological storage, and other permanent storage solutions, as well as members from management, legal and financial consulting sectors.   

For media enquiries, please contact public.affairs@ccsassociation.org  or Joe Butler-Trewin at joe.butler-trewin@ccsassociation.org / 07908141067 

To find out more about the Carbon Capture Storage Association (CCSA) please visit the CCSA website at http://www.ccsassociation.org/    

• The conference, organised by the Carbon Capture and Storage Association, is their largest ever, attended by over 700 global industry leaders. Speakers include Secretary of State Claire Coutinho and former Government Chief Scientist Sir David King.
• Carbon Capture Project Pipeline online map is launched to accompany the industry Delivery Plan Update 2023.
• Industry momentum grows as the new Secretary of State reaffirmed strong commitment to the UK clusters programme, announcing a significant milestone with Hynet cluster and work on the CCUS Vision to 2035.  

This week, the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA) holds its annual conference,  “CCUS 2023 Springboard to Net Zero,” on the 17th and 18th of October in Westminster. Notable speakers included former Government Chief Scientist Sir David King and its key note The Rt Hon Claire Coutinho MP, the newly appointed Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, who announced the Governments plan to publish its vision for the CCUS sector later in the year

CCUS 2023 features 23 sessions, including CCUS’s role in Europe’s decarbonisation journey and accelerating CCUS deployment in the UK, as well as four roundtables gathering global investors and experts on skills and supply chain. The conference is emphasising the critical significance of CCUS in achieving net-zero emissions and provided a platform for in-depth discussions and knowledge sharing among industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators.

The industry also reaffirmed its commitment to the recently published CCUS Delivery Plan Update 2023, with the launch of the Carbon Capture Project Pipeline online map. This provides the underlying data for the Delivery Plan which outlines vital initiatives and milestones for achieving net-zero emissions. It suggests that accelerating the deployment of carbon capture and storage in the UK could secure around £40 billion of inward investment by 2030 and the number of projects in the UK looking to use carbon capture has increased by 28% since last year. But one third of these projects are at risk of relocating overseas if they cannot connect to carbon capture and storage infrastructure in the UK. The Delivery Plan encourages collaboration and innovation is required in the global shift toward a low-carbon future.

The Rt Hon Claire Coutinho MP said:  

“The Prime Minister has made it abundantly clear in recent weeks, that we need pragmatic answers to the carbon challenge and there’s no better example of this than CCUS. Carbon capture and storage is pragmatism in action. What’s more common sense than taking advantage of our own geography to address one of the greatest threats facing humanity?

That’s why we remain fully committed to an unprecedented £20 billion for early deployment of the technology, among the biggest funding commitments in Europe, the first 8 projects of the ‘first-of-a-kind capture networks’ we’ll be taking forward in the North East, North West and Wales and the next two carbon capture clusters in North East Scotland and Humber.”

She concluded her speech saying, “Without a doubt, carbon capture and storage stands among the most exciting and effective ways in which Britain can lead in tackling climate change and ultimately, the people in this room have the capacity to make it happen. So let’s make it happen together.”

Ruth Herbert, Chief Executive of the Carbon Capture and Storage Association, said: 

“Momentum is building in the UK’s CCUS industry and it is great to see the Secretary of State’s commitment to driving forward the industry. Our showcase 2023 annual conference, in its fifth year, had record attendees and globally significant speakers all united in advancing carbon capture, utilisation, and storage deployment.

But our Delivery Plan makes it clear that further Government policy certainty, and faster progress on decisions over the next 12 months is key to unlocking the tens of billions of pounds of planned CCUS investments in the UK, which could create  70,000 new jobs and retain 77,000 existing jobs nationwide.”

Ends

Notes to Editors

CCUS, or Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage, is a key low carbon solution – vital to meeting the UK’s statutory Net Zero target at least cost. CCUS enables the production of clean power, clean products (such as steel and cement) and clean hydrogen – which can then be used to decarbonise heating and transport. In addition, CCUS also enables greenhouse gas removal from the atmosphere through Direct Air Capture with Storage (DACS) or Bioenergy with CCS (BECCS).

The CCSA is the trade association promoting the commercial deployment of CCUS. We work with members, governments and other organisations to ensure CCUS is developed and deployed at the pace and scale necessary to meet net zero goals and deliver sustainable growth across regions and nations.

The CCSA currently has 116 member companies who are active in exploring and developing different applications of carbon capture, CO₂ transportation by pipeline and ship, utilisation, geological storage, and other permanent storage solutions, as well as members from management, legal and financial consulting sectors.

For media enquiries, please contact public.affairs@ccsassociation.org  or Joe Butler-Trewin on 07908141067

To find out more about the Carbon Capture Storage Association (CCSA) please visit the CCSA website at http://www.ccsassociation.org/