Category: CCSA News

23 September 2022, London

Today, the Chancellor of the Exchequer published a new Growth Plan, which includes CCUS and hydrogen in the list of infrastructure projects that will be fast-tracked for construction.

Ruth Herbert, Chief Executive at the CCSA, said:

“We are delighted that the new Chancellor has today in his new Growth Plan reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to CCUS and hydrogen by including the HyNet and East Coast CCUS clusters in the list of infrastructure projects to be accelerated, alongside hydrogen pipelines and storage that are essential for the effective operation of those clusters. 

This is a strong signal to industry that the government intends to accelerate its CCUS Cluster Sequencing Programme and we look forward to seeing the detailed timeline set out and progression of the necessary enabling legislation.”

 

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact Judith Shapiro/ ju************@************on.org or Joe Butler-Trewin/ jo***************@************on.org

22 September 2022, London

Today, the North Sea Transition Authority published data on the UK’s first-ever carbon storage licensing round. This was launched in June and attracted 26 bids.

The announcement can be found here.

Ruth Herbert, Chief Executive at the CCSA, said:

“The high number of bids for the UK’s first-ever carbon storage licensing round, announced by the NSTA, is a clear indication of the level of interest in the UK’s storage potential.  It also reinforces our message that the CCUS industry stands ready to invest in developing the UK’s carbon dioxide storage assets, based on the policy framework the government set out in the Energy Bill. 

Opening up CO2 storage in the UK offshore space – both North Sea and East Irish Sea – is a vital step towards deploying CCUS clusters across the country and positioning the UK as the go-to place for clean inward investment, delivering new green jobs and significant economic benefits for our industrial heartlands.”

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact Judith Shapiro – ju************@************on.org or Joe Butler-Trewin –  jo***************@************on.org

12th August 2022 – The Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA), the trade body for the Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) industry in the UK, has welcomed the announcement of shortlisted bidders in Phase 2 of the CCUS Cluster Sequencing Process. A crucial step in the delivery of the Government’s Net Zero Strategy. 

The Phase 2 competition is for carbon capture projects that wish to connect to the carbon dioxide transport and storage infrastructure that will be developed through the initial “Track 1” clusters (HyNet North West, East Coast Cluster and Scottish Cluster in reserve).  

Following the submission deadline in January 2022, 41 CCUS and Hydrogen projects from across the UK were considered eligible by BEIS. Of the 41 eligible projects, 20 projects have today been shortlisted for possible support from Government, once it has established that the projects represent a ‘value for money’ investment for the taxpayer. The Government support will be in the form of revenue contracts to cover the cost of operating with carbon capture and storage, as well as potential access to capital support from either the £1bn CCS Infrastructure Fund (CIF) or the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund. The next step for the shortlisted projects is expected to be bilateral negotiations with BEIS to finalise the contracts. 

Ruth Herbert, Chief Executive at the CCSA, said:  

 “I am delighted to see the government providing certainty to business today by confirming the Phase 2 shortlist. These world-leading projects can now move forward and prepare for the next stage of the process, which we hope will advance swiftly. 

This announcement also sends a very strong signal that Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) and Net Zero remains a priority for the UK Government, particularly since it comes during a change in leadership.  CCUS is critical in achieving Net Zero and positioning the UK as the world’s first at-scale hydrogen economy.  It will transform our industrial regions – driving jobs and growth through inward investment and export opportunities.  

That 41 eligible projects applied to Phase 2 demonstrates the scale of interest in CCUS in the UK.  We look forward to getting further clarity on the timetable for future phases and the selection of further clusters in the Autumn, as well as progress on the Energy Bill – all crucial if we are to meet the government’s ambition of four operational clusters by 2030, remain on track to achieve Net Zero by 2050 and secure our place as a global leader in CCUS technology.” 

 

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact Joe Butler-Trewin –  jo***************@************on.org

29 June 2022, London – The Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA), the trade body for the Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) industry, welcomes the Climate Change Committee’s 2022 Progress Report to Parliament, published today.

Ruth Herbert, Chief Executive of the CCSA said:

“Today’s report from the Climate Change Committee is clear – the UK is not on track to deliver net zero and we need to move much further and faster on CCUS specifically.

Our CCUS Delivery Plan is a call to action for Government, to urgently confirm the business models for both CCUS and hydrogen and to provide clarity to investors on the process for selecting the next wave of clusters that must be operational by 2030.

By establishing a successful CCUS industry with a homegrown UK supply chain, we can unlock other climate solutions such as greenhouse gas removals which will be vital for harder-to-abate sectors such as aviation. The UK has a tremendous unique opportunity to become a global leader in this crucial technology, but we need to push the pedal now.”

 

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For media enquiries please contact Judith Shapiro on 07719763133 or email ju************@************on.org

23 June 2022, London – The Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA), the trade body for the Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) industry, welcomes the UK Infrastructure Bank’s first Strategic Plan launched today.

The plan sets out the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) ambition to invest £22 billion to tackle climate change and regional growth; including scaling up green infrastructure and accelerating deployment of CCUS and hydrogen.

Ruth Herbert, Chief Executive of the CCSA said:

“Today’s announcement by the UK Infrastructure Bank is a massive vote of confidence for the CCUS industry, demonstrating that the UK is serious about long-term investment in this vital climate technology and the need for urgent and accelerated deployment.

The plan highlights the tremendous investment opportunity in delivering a clean energy sector for the UK, that also increases our self-reliance thereby helping to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.

CCUS and hydrogen will both play a crucial role in delivering this outcome and, together with the upcoming Energy Security Bill, the UK will have set out a strong regulatory and incentive framework, which, providing there is clarity on the scale and timing of revenue support, will enable these technologies to play their vital role at the heart of the net zero energy transition”.

 

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For media enquiries please contact Judith Shapiro on 07719763133 or email ju************@************on.org

14 June 2022, London – Today the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), launched the first ever UK carbon storage licensing round, to support deployment of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS).

In total, 13 potential sites are available offshore across the Southern North Sea, Central North Sea, Northern North Sea, and East Irish Sea.

Ruth Herbert, Chief Executive of the CCSA said:

“Today’s announcement represents a key step forward to support the rapid growth that will be needed in CCUS, to ensure the UK remains on the path to net zero.

The CCUS industry welcomes this news, which supports one of the recommendations in the CCSA’s CCUS Delivery Plan 2035; the need to ensure additional CO2 storage capacity is developed, given that it can take 5-10 years to develop suitable sites.

The release of this license round has been accelerated by the NSTA in response to industry interest. We now need to see the government’s timetable for selection of the next wave of clusters and clarity on the process for emitters to apply to connect to CO2 transport and storage infrastructure”.

 

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact Judith Shapiro on 07719763133 or email ju************@************on.org

10 May 2022, London – The Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA), the trade body for the Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) industry, welcomes the Queen’s Speech which announced a number of legislative proposals of relevance to CCUS.

Key amongst these is the intention to bring forward an Energy Security Bill to deliver a more secure, clean and affordable energy system. CCUS and low-carbon hydrogen are highlighted as a key benefit of the Bill “attracting billions in private investment and supporting tens of thousands of new, skilled jobs across the UK” whilst creating new industries and transforming the UK’s industrial heartlands. The Bill will introduce new business models for carbon capture and CO2 transport and storage infrastructure to enable the development of low-carbon industrial clusters across the UK.

The CCSA would like to see additional legislative proposals to enable CCUS in the Energy Security Bill, including:

Recognising the value of Greenhouse Gas Removals (GGRs) such as Direct Air Capture with Storage (DACS) and Bioenergy with CCS (BECCS);
Enabling the repurposing of existing assets for net zero activities including CCUS and hydrogen;
Providing the public sector with the required spending and other powers to oversee the rapid development of CO2 and hydrogen networks and regularly allocate and sign contracts with CO2 capture projects under the government’s proposed business models.

Ruth Herbert, Chief Executive of the CCSA, said:

“The UK’s commitment to net zero is a key focus in today’s announcements and CCUS has a critical role to play in meeting the UK’s  Sixth Carbon Budget. The industry has worked intensively with the UK Government for a number of years on a credible investment framework for CCUS deployment and we are pleased to see that the necessary enabling powers will be set out in the forthcoming Energy Bill.

Today the Government also announced proposals to establish the UK Infrastructure Bank to play an important role in encouraging investment in low carbon infrastructure, including CCUS – recognising that CO2 transport and storage networks will be critical strategic infrastructure for decarbonising the UK’s regions. With this in mind, we are also pleased to see the emphasis on levelling up – we hope to see empowerment of local leaders in the development of net zero industrial clusters, given the associated jobs and economic benefits that will be created.”

7 April 2022, London – The Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA), the trade body for the Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) industry in the UK, welcomes the British Energy Security Strategy published today. The Strategy reaffirms Government’s commitment to delivering 4 CCUS clusters by 2030 and sets out new commitments to accelerate deployment of low-carbon energy sources – to deliver a decarbonised electricity system by 2030. This includes 10GW of low carbon hydrogen.

Earlier this week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group III report on ‘Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change’ emphasised the vital role that CCUS must play in tackling climate change, highlighting the increased role of both Direct Air Capture and Storage (DACS) and Bioenergy with CCS (BECCS) to compensate for residual greenhouse gas emissions in scenarios that limit global warming to 2°C or 1.5°C.

Olivia Powis, Head of UK Office at the CCSA, said:

“Today’s Energy Strategy emphasises the key role that CCUS and hydrogen will play in delivering a net zero electricity system and Government has responded by doubling their hydrogen target to 10GW. With up to 5GW of this being provided by blue hydrogen, it is clear that CCUS is central to decarbonising the energy sector. As the IPCC concluded in their report this week; if we are to meet Paris Agreement goals and avoid stranded energy assets, CCUS is crucial.

It is therefore critical that the British Energy Security Strategy aligns with the IPCC recommendations and we look forward to working with Government and the Future System Operator in the coming months, to ensure CCUS can fulfil its role in creating a more self-reliant and low-carbon UK energy system.”

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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 CCSA is the trade association promoting 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 80 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 contact Judith Shapiro on 07719763133 or email ju************@************on.org

To find out more about the Carbon Capture Storage Association (CCSA) please visit the CCSA website at http://www.ccsassociation.org/.

 

With recent record high temperatures at both of the Earth’s poles, it is clear that we cannot afford another moment of delay in combating the climate emergency.

Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) is a crucial tool in addressing this emergency, and I believe we can deliver the scale of CCUS required to meet the UK’s Net Zero pathway, rapidly reducing our emissions and leading in the development of this vital low-carbon technology.

In November 2021, the UK Government published its Net Zero Strategy which set a target for reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions to 78% below 1990 levels by 2035 – in line with the Sixth Carbon Budget. The strategy sets out pathways for the deployment of low-carbon technologies that can deliver the deep cuts in our emissions required over the coming decades.

Carbon Capture has been around for decades and when combined with permanent storage, it can be used to abate emissions at source or remove greenhouse gases directly from the atmosphere. The Net Zero Strategy envisages that the UK will need to store up to 30 million tonnes of CO2 a year by 2030, rising to at least 50 million tonnes a year by 2035 to remain on a pathway consistent with achieving Net Zero by 2050.

The strategy includes a number of envisaged pathways for capture and storage of emissions from power, industrial and hydrogen production plants, as well as for greenhouse gas removals through Bioenergy with CCS (BECCS) and Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage (DACCS). The Net Zero Strategy also requires the UK power sector to be fully decarbonised by 2035, subject to security of supply, and this will require a proportion of  carbon capture on gas-fired power stations and switching to CCUS-enabled (blue) hydrogen.

Ambition and government strategies are one thing. Delivery is another. Our CCUS Delivery Plan 2035 is the industry’s response to these ambitions. We can and must deliver, and we need to act now to stay on the pathway to meeting the Sixth Carbon Budget.

Only by building all the major projects currently under consideration in CCUS clusters and deploying CO2 shipping and other non-pipeline transport solutions alongside rapid CO2 pipeline network and storage development, can we meet the UK Governments 2035 ambition. Given the long lead in times for this infrastructure, the clear message from industry is that ‘2035’ is essentially ‘now’ in terms of the urgent need to plan the roll-out of CCUS across all regions in the UK.

CCUS is crucial for the competitiveness of the UK. Deploying CCUS in all of our industrial heartlands will provide an opportunity to lead the global green industrial revolution and reduce our reliance on imports with new UK products, such as clean steel, clean cement and clean hydrogen, and attract inward investment through our offer of a clear route to decarbonisation for heavy industries. As one of the first movers on CCUS, there is also a huge opportunity to exploit our world-leading skills and plentiful offshore storage capacity to offer decarbonisation services to Europe.

Providing there is more clarity on greenhouse gas removals and non-pipeline transport, the work on business models looks set to deliver a viable investment framework. What is now required to unlock that investment, and further develop the CCUS project pipeline, is a UK Government commitment to a steady build-out rate through a multi-year programme of contract allocation rounds, similar to the 2013 Electricity Market Reform (EMR) Delivery Plan that enabled the scale up and cost reduction seen in offshore wind over the last decade.

I believe by bringing together the CCUS industry, UK Government and other stakeholders we can make this vision a reality. By implementing the actions set out in the CCUS Delivery Plan 2035 we can play a leading role in combating the climate emergency and give our industrial regions the opportunity to lead the green industrial revolution.

The time to deliver CCUS is now.

 

For more information, read the full ‘CCUS Delivery Plan 2035’, watch the ‘Delivery Plan Animation’ and for further insight be sure to watch an overview discussion of the report from the CCUS APPG chaired by Alex Cunningham MP which is available on demand on our website.

 

 

 

The Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA), the trade body for the Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) industry in the UK, has today published its “CCUS Delivery Plan 2035”.

Download the CCUS Delivery Plan here:

CCSA CCUS Delivery Plan 2035

The Delivery Plan sets out industry’s recommended pathway to deliver the Government’s Net Zero Strategy ambition of storing 50 Million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year by 2035, alongside ten critical actions that must be prioritised by Government, industry and wider stakeholders in the next 12 months to enable scaling up of the UK industry in line with this ambition.

Ruth Herbert, Chief Executive at the CCSA, said:

“In this report, the UK’s CCUS industry has responded to the government’s Net Zero strategy. We have collected data from a pipeline of carbon capture projects across the UK that together could prevent 70 Million tonnes of emissions every year, if Government commits to further CO2 storage and transport infrastructure development pre-2030.

Our recommended build-out rate would provide a route to decarbonisation for all of our industrial regions and mean that we could rely on our own industries such as clean steel, clean cement and clean hydrogen for the net zero transition. To continue investing in this pipeline, the sector is asking Government to commit to regular contract allocation rounds, with an overarching target and budget, similar to that provided for offshore wind in 2013.  This kind of commitment would send a clear signal to the broader supply chain and the finance community, driving inward investment. Building this new world-leading net zero industry here in the UK will safeguard existing jobs and create new growth opportunities for our industrial regions, increasing our self-reliance.”

Jonathan Briggs, Chair of the CCSA Board said:

“The CCSA’s Delivery Plan sets out a clear pathway to the deployment of a UK-based Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage industry at scale and is essential to reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the economy. CCUS in no longer considered an option but a necessity if we’re to achieve our Net Zero ambition by 2050, with the potential to remove up to 70 mtpa of CO2 in the near-term from industry, electricity generation, in producing low-carbon hydrogen and by enabling greenhouse gas removals to offset hard to reach sectors.”

Peter Whitton, Managing Director, Progressive Energy and Vice-Chair of the CCSA Board, said:

“The Government is putting in place a solid policy framework to support delivery of decarbonisation of industrial clusters such as HyNet in the North West and the East Coast Cluster. However, further impetus is urgently required to secure the full benefits, in addition to enabling more clusters across the UK to develop similar CCUS and hydrogen infrastructure. The evidence from the lead clusters proves that existing industry will invest, if policy allows. The result will be a significant economic stimulus and we therefore strongly support the CCSA’s Delivery Plan.”

 

ENDS

Notes to Editors

The CCSA’s “CCUS Delivery Plan 2035” is published on the 25th March and is available to download below.

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 CCSA is the trade association promoting 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 80 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 contact Judith Shapiro on 07719763133 or email ju************@************on.org

To find out more about the Carbon Capture Storage Association (CCSA) please visit the CCSA website at http://www.ccsassociation.org/.