The Value of CCUS

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CCUS is an essential solution for reducing emissions from a number of vital sectors, supporting their transition to net zero and creating the low-carbon industries of the future

CCUS incubation area, Drax Power Station, UK. Credit: Drax

Delivering Net Zero

CCUS is an absolutely critical solution for delivering net zero emissions due to its ability to decarbonise multiple sectors:

  • It is one of very few available technologies which can that can significantly decarbonise industries such as iron & steel, fertilizer, cement and chemicals, enabling the production of clean products
  • CCUS can enable a source of flexible, low-carbon power generation which will make an important contribution to a resilient net zero electricity mix
  • CCUS represents one of the main routes for producing low-carbon hydrogen, which can be used to decarbonised industrial processes, as well as domestic and industrial heating, power and transport.
  • For those sectors that will be harder to decarbonise (such as aviation), CCUS also unlocks a key method of greenhouse gas removal, which will be critical to meet climate goals
Tees Valley Landscape, UK. Credit: Tees Valley Combined Authority

Transforming Regions

CCUS has the ability to transform regions and nations by developing CCUS clusters – multiple industries sharing common CO2 transport and storage infrastructure. These low-carbon industrial clusters can drive down the cost of decarbonisation and transform our industries into the low-carbon industries of the future.

In the UK, these CCUS hubs will support heavy industry as the UK transitions to a net zero economy and help to retain the approximately 1.5 million jobs (direct and indirect) in steel, cement, refining, chemicals, ceramics and glass (Clean Growth – The UK Carbon Capture Usage and Storage deployment pathway, BEIS, 2018).

Creating Clean Industries

CCUS offers a unique opportunity to create the low-carbon industries of the future which can compete in the global low-carbon market. These industries will unlock significant economic benefits – in the UK alone, CCUS exports could support 48,000 direct high-skilled jobs and £4.3 billion in GVA per year by 2050 (Energy Innovation Needs Assessment – Sub-theme report: Carbon capture, utilisation, and storage, BEIS, 2019).

Related Content

Explore CCUS

CCUS is a low-carbon solution which captures CO2 from a range of sources and injects the CO2 deep into the sub-surface for permanent storage.

CCUS in Action

CCUS projects have been successfully operating for many years and new projects are in development around the world. Find out more here.