Today the Government have confirmed that the first carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) project in the UK could be operational by the mid 2020s as part of a new Action Plan announced at the world’s first international CCUS Summit.
The Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA), the trade body for the CCUS industry in the UK, has welcomed the news. If deployed at scale in the UK, CCUS technology could boost regional growth in our industrial heartlands, create a world-leading green industry and drive deeper decarbonisation across the UK economy, in particular in the harder to reach sectors like heavy industry, heat and transport.
Luke Warren, Chief Executive of the CCSA, said:
“These are exciting times for those developing CCUS in the UK, and this announcement represents an essential step forward for this vital industry.
If we are to have any hope of meeting our existing climate change targets, let alone achieving net zero emissions, we must support the commercialisation of CCUS today. The Government’s announcement in Edinburgh recognises the need for urgent action, with a commendable commitment to develop the first project by the mid-2020s as a first step towards having the ability to deploy CCUS at scale.
The Government have today stepped up and shown global leadership by committing to this ambitious and deliverable action plan. We look forward to working with Government over the next year on how to deliver a number of regional CCUS clusters that will be needed to achieve commercial scale deployment.”
Download PDF ↓