CCSA Webinar “Exploring Greenhouse Gas Removals and their role in delivering Net Zero”, 22 June 2021

On the 22nd June 2021, the CCSA held a webinar on

“Exploring Greenhouse Gas Removals and their role in delivering Net Zero”.

This webinar provided the opportunity to hear from the Climate Change Committee on the Sixth Carbon Budget and the role for GHG removals, as well as the developer of a BECCS project and DAC technology provider to a UK project and a view from the aviation sector that are considering GHG removals as part of their decarbonisation pathway.

The webinar featured the following speakers:

• David Joffe, Head of Carbon Budgets at the Climate Change Committee. The Climate Change Committee (CCC) is an independent, statutory body that advises the UK and devolved governments on emissions targets and reports to Parliament on progress made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The CCC have consistently emphasised the vital role that CCUS must play in meeting the UK’s net zero target. In their report “Net Zero – The UK’s contribution to stopping global warming”, the CCC stated that “CCS is a necessity not an option for reaching net-zero GHG emissions.”
• Dr. Amy Ruddock, VP Europe at Carbon Engineering Ltd. Carbon Engineering (CE) is deploying Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology at megatonne scale. The regenerative process uses standard industrial equipment assembled on site meaning plants can be rapidly deployed and a full local supply chain is developed.  In the US the world’s largest DACS facility is due online in 2024. In the UK, CE and Storegga plan to deploy a commercial DACS facility in North East Scotland. Construction could begin in 2024.  One plant does the work of around 40 million trees but with significantly less water and land use.
• Karl Smyth, Group Head of BECCS Strategy & Engagement at Drax. Drax Group plc (Drax) is a UK-based renewable energy company. In 2019 Drax announced a world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030, using Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS). To do this, Drax is piloting the groundbreaking negative emissions technology BECCS within its CCUS Incubation Area and in March kicked off the planning process to deploy two BECCS units at Drax Power Station in the 2020s. Work to build Drax’s first two BECCS units could be underway by 2024 and would deliver at least 8 Mt of negative emissions and the UK’s largest carbon capture project.
• Dr. Andy Jefferson, Programme Director Sustainable Aviation. Sustainable Aviation is a long term strategy which sets out the collective approach of UK aviation to tackling the challenge of ensuring a cleaner, quieter, smarter future for the aviation industry. Launched in 2005, it is a world first bringing together major UK airlines, airports, manufacturers, air navigation service providers and key business partners.  The ‘Carbon Road-Map’ sets out the key ways aviation can achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Investing in carbon removal solutions will be critical but there is a need to work with others to best achieve this.

The webinar recording can be viewed here.

The presentations can be downloaded below.