The Carbon Capture and Storage Association presents the CCSA EU Manifesto 2024-2029: CCUS paving the way to a Net Zero Europe

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The Carbon Capture and Storage Association presents the CCSA EU Manifesto 2024-2029: CCUS paving the way to a Net Zero Europe

Posted on: March 25th, 2024 by ccsaEditor

In light of the upcoming 2024-2029 EU legislative term, the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA) is delighted to announce the publication of the CCSA EU 2024 Manifesto: CCUS paving the way to a Net Zero Europe.

The CSSA EU Manifesto 2024 presents our vision on how European policymakers can establish the basis for the commercialisation of CCUS technologies and deliver a robust CCUS market in Europe.

We have identified the steps that the EU institutions, as well as EU Member States and neighbouring countries, need to take during the legislative term 2024-2029.

These are:

– Defining schemes to support CCUS investments.

– Europe-wide agreement on ambitious capture and storage targets.

– Emphasising the importance of clear regulatory frameworks for CO2 transport.

– Advancing international and cross-border cooperation.

– Support low carbon products.

– Build public support and project-level communications.

Discover more on the CCUS industry priorities for the 2024-2029 EU legislative term by downloading the Manifesto here.

Carbon Clean marks one-year anniversary of Houston HQ and calls for acceleration of hundreds of identified CCUS projects

Posted on: March 19th, 2024 by ccsaEditor

How carbon removals can enable CCS business cases in Europe today. By Nicolai Mykleby-Skaara, Policy Advisor, Aker Carbon Capture

Posted on: March 15th, 2024 by ccsaEditor

Introduction 

As the world grapples with the urgent need to combat climate change, while being continuously reminded of our rapid approach to 2030 climate commitments, innovative business models and progressive policy incentives are emerging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Among these, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS): using biomass for energy production while capturing and storing the resulting CO2. Otherwise known as permanent carbon removal, industrial carbon removal value chains are key to achieving carbon neutrality objectives enshrined in several national climate laws, however, incentives and policy provisions need to recognize the potential of facilities generating negative emissions and ensure a transparent and coherent framework to facilitate these projects. 

These were some of the challenges the recent “Making CCS Happen Now” event hosted last month in London by Aker Carbon Capture, as part of the Carbon Capture and Storage Association Member Discussion Forum, sought to discuss with an excellent panel featuring industry stakeholders and experts. 

Background 

So far, 2024 has been an unprecedented year with several strong policy developments, especially in the EU with its Industrial Carbon Management strategy, proposed 2040 climate reduction targets of 90% compared to 1990 levels, with a strong emphasis on carbon capture, and a provisional agreement on the Net Zero Industry Act which is widely known for its 50 MTPA CO2 injection capacity target by 2030. 

In the UK, the first Track-1 projects are expected to take their Financial Investment Decisions (FID) this year pending final negotiations between relevant projects and authorities. This will ultimately cater for CCS through a cluster sequencing approach to develop 4 industrial clusters by 2030 (Track 1: HyNET and the East Coast Cluster; Track 2: Acorn and Viking). These negotiations build on continuous funding business model developments over the last few years within Dispatchable Power (DPA); industrial Carbon Capture, including specific subsection for EfW (ICC); bioenergy with CCS (BECCS) and Greenhouse Gas Removals (GGR) which are all different in nature and technicalities. The outcome of the negotiations will result in many important ‘lessons learned’ for the next wave of projects and therefore we are at a particularly pivotal stage in the CCS development timeline with a precedent being set as we speak. 

How to accelerate CCS and CDR timelines 

Parts of the industry find themselves in a precarious position today with a highly intertwined value chain consisting of private actors and public authorities. Since many emerging projects are subject to and dependent on government funding, while also serving the greater purpose of inherently contributing to the nation’s climate obligations, developers and authorities are often presented with uncertainty and risk as they are embarking on these first-of-a-kind projects.  

The Energy from Waste (EfW) sector is in a unique position as the incineration of municipal and industrial waste produces both fossil and biogenic CO2 emissions. The fraction of fossil vs biogenic CO2 in the flue gas stream from an EfW plant depends on the feedstock being incinerated, but in most municipal waste incineration facilities, it is typically around 50/50. If this CO2 is captured and stored, the fossil CO2 released from the incineration of waste can be abated, while capture of the biogenic CO2 emissions results in carbon dioxide removal, meaning that CO2 is removed from the atmosphere and the natural carbon cycle. The real challenge is how to account for the biogenic vs fossil contents of the captured CO2 – this will naturally be a significant part of credit creation, but also a determining factor if the fossil contents are tied into a carbon tax or emissions trading scheme. 

A multitude of large private corporations have the same, if not more aggressive internal climate mitigation ambitions and are therefore finding ways of contributing to the financing of BECCS projects through off-taker agreements for high-integrity carbon removal credits. It is crucial to allow these investments to contribute in harmony with relevant government support schemes that are also helping finance the first projects to be economically viable. This was a significant enabler in the major Ørsted Kalundborg Hub BECCS project that Aker Carbon Capture was awarded in May 2023, which for the customer will deliver over 430,000 tonnes of high-integrity carbon removal credits. A significant amount of these credits will be purchased by Microsoft over more than ten years to contribute to its commitments of being carbon negative in 2030 and removing its historical emissions by 2050. 

Conclusion

The first initial projects will provide a blueprint to guide the industry as it grows and transitions away from government financing. The current active policy provisions and continuous development is what needs to instil enough confidence and predictability in emitters that are looking for solutions to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions. What really matters now is that the first wave of projects cross the finish-line and are implemented successfully, such as those in the UK Track-1 process, and that the industry, policymakers, and other stakeholders extract valuable lessons learned for what enabled these projects to move ahead to accommodate future opportunities, for instance with the build-out of scalable transport and storage infrastructure that future emitters can tie into. In the grand scheme of things, knowledge-sharing and transparent cooperation between countries should be encouraged as the challenges we all face are not limited to borders and we need to work together to find common solutions.

Take a look at the event highlights on YouTube here.

 

CCSA Member Discussion Forum, “Making CCS Happen Now”, hosted by Aker Carbon Capture on the 1st of February 2024

European delegation visits North-Eastern carbon capture clusters amid push to deploy technology across the UK

Posted on: March 12th, 2024 by ccsaEditor

[London, 12th March 2024] – Last week, European diplomats visited carbon capture business in the north of England to witness the roll out of the vital technology across the UK’s industrial regions and explore how the rollout of the UK Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) industry can support the UK and EU’s journey to net zero and boost economic investment into the UK.

Officials from the EU Delegation to the UK and nine EU Member States spent two days carrying out fact-finding visits in the Humberside and Teesside clusters, supported by the Carbon Capture and Storage Association, (CCSA.)

On March 7, the group viewed the Humber Freeports, including visits to the Phillips 66 Immingham Refinery, and the CATCH Skills Training Facility, where they met with partners of Viking CCS, one of the UK’s ‘CCUS Clusters’. On March 8, the delegation met innovative, Leeds based Carbon capture technology developer, C-Capture, before travelling to see the Teesworks Skills Academy and meet members of the East Coast Cluster, including BP, the Northern Endurance Partnership and Net Zero Teesside Power.

A networking event was held in Leeds to facilitate discussions between the delegation, CCSA members and UK CCUS industry partners and government representatives. The visit emphasised the importance of collaboration in advancing CCUS technology innovation.

Deployment of CCUS technology is vital for meeting the UK’s Net Zero targets. It will enable energy intensive industries making products such as cement and glass to continue manufacturing in the UK while still cutting emissions. As a result, CCUS technology is expected to generate 70,000 new skilled jobs and protect 77,000 existing jobs.

CCSA analysis suggests UK CCUS companies could attract up to £30 billion in private sector investment by 2030 if the Government puts in place the right support now. This will ensure the industry becomes self-sustaining while helping to meet government targets of capturing 20-30 million tonnes of CO2 by 2030.

Olivia Powis, UK Director at the CCSA, said:

“This visit highlights the positive progress in driving policy development and facilitating the deployment of CCUS technologies both in the UK and across the EU.

“We were pleased to support the European delegation’s visit and give them the opportunity to see Viking CCS and the East Coast Cluster as well as an overview of the significant progress being made in the UK’s industrial regions towards achieving net zero ambitions through CCUS technology. By fostering dialogue and collaboration with our European partners, we are helping to secure a sustainable and low-carbon future while safeguarding critical industries in the UK and across the EU.”

The members of the European Delegation said: ”During this insightful two-day visit, we have witnessed the progresses of two UK clusters committed to decarbonise crucial industrial sectors of the UK economy that account for a significant portion of UK emissions. We have observed the determination with which these stakeholders are working in achieving these objectives and helping UK in its journey toward net zero.”

The European delegation included members of the EU Delegation to the UK, of the Embassies of Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Latvia, Germany and France, and of Advantage Austria.

 

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 Carbon Capture Storage Association (CCSA) is the lead European association accelerating 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 over 100 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 email press@ccsassociation.org

To find out more about the CCSA please visit the CCSA website at http://www.ccsassociation.org/

Carbon Clean achieves three ISO accreditations across three global offices

Posted on: March 5th, 2024 by ccsaEditor