Mark Sommerfeld, UK Director at the CCSA, said:
“The CCSA welcomes the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) recognition of the vital role that Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) must play in delivering net zero in Wales and across the UK.
We’re pleased to see clear support for progressing CCUS and hydrogen infrastructure in the South Wales Industrial Cluster and HyNet. Delivery of CCUS in these regions will be key to decarbonising Welsh industry, thereby protecting and creating jobs, while unleashing investment for the region.
CCUS is not just about cutting emissions — it secures the future of UK-made products. For key sectors like cement, refining and chemicals, which underpin construction and food production, net zero is an opportunity to lead in low-carbon manufacturing and keep operations in Wales and across the UK.
While the report suggests CCUS will contribute only modestly by 2033, we believe this underestimates its potential. With the right policy framework and timely access to infrastructure, CCUS can be deployed earlier to enable greater emission reductions for Wales’s industrial and power sectors, along with engineered carbon removals. The Government must now build on recent progress, providing confidence to the market in the upcoming spending review with confirmed support for expanding Track-1, advancing Track-2 and providing a clear route to market for further well-advanced industrial clusters in Wales and the UK. This is vital to give industry the confidence to invest and move forward.
There is no path to net zero without CCUS. Accelerating deployment now will cut emissions, protect jobs and position the UK as a global leader in low-carbon industry.”
Notes to Editor
About the CCSA
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 industrial decarbonisation as well as the production of clean power, clean products (such as cement and chemicals) and clean hydrogen – which can also be used to decarbonise industry. 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 accelerating the commercial deployment of CCUS, with offices in the UK and Belgium. 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 120 member companies who are active in exploring and developing different applications of carbon capture and removals, CO2 transportation by pipeline and ship, utilisation, geological storage, and other permanent storage solutions, end-users in the power, industry, waste management, fuels, and hydrogen production sectors, plus supply chain, engineering, construction and management, legal and financial consulting sectors.