Region: Global

• The UK’s leadership in CCUS deployment through its Cluster approach and leading regulatory framework, offers a model for other nations aiming to scale CCUS

• The UK’s offshore carbon storage capacity exceeds national needs, opening opportunities for international collaboration

• Cross-border CO₂ storage agreements and a long-term allocation framework can create certainty for investors and drive progress in industrial decarbonisation

[London, 20 November] –Speaking at a COP29 side event in Baku, Azerbaijan, Olivia Powis, CEO of the CCSA, emphasised the critical role of Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) technologies in reducing global emissions. She highlighted the UK’s significant offshore carbon storage capacity, which exceeds national requirements, as a potential solution for international CO₂ storage needs, fostering global collaboration in emissions reduction.

Addressing a panel alongside US Dept of Energy, IEA GHG, University of Texas at Austin, Bellona, and the International CCS Knowledge Centre, Olivia addressed the financial and technical challenges of scaling Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies globally.

Olivia explained that in the UK, the CCUS Cluster approach is aimed at providing the most cost-effective solution with capture projects sharing CO2 transport and storage infrastructure. As the industry moves forward, we need to move towards a competitive, market-based approach with a regular allocation framework, providing long-term visibility for developers and the supply chain and opening up a European cross-border CO2 storage market.

The UK has committed to deploying CCUS across industrial regions as part of its ambitious goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 81% by 2035. The UK’s leadership in this field offers valuable lessons for other nations striving to scale up CCUS deployment.

At COP29, Olivia detailed the UK’s leadership in CCUS deployment, offering a model for other nations aiming to scale CCUS. Collaboration between nations is essential for building trust and scaling CCUS effectively, with new projects learning from past experiences.

As global economies phase out the use of fossil fuels and drive progress in industrial decarbonisation, governments need to invest in and deploy all available technologies to transition to a low-carbon economy. CCUS is poised to play a central role in this effort, working alongside other green technologies.

With 2024 projected to be the first year global warming surpasses 1.5°C – the threshold set by the Paris Agreement – the urgency to deploy CCUS and other green technologies has never been greater. This year alone has starkly demonstrated the effects of climate change, with Europe and other regions facing unprecedented loss of life, economic upheaval, and ecological destruction from severe flooding, hurricanes, wildfires, and heatwaves.

The advantages of CCUS are clear. As long as we rely on gas-fired power stations to provide energy when renewable power is low, and continue to use cement to build hospitals, and schools, and chemicals such as fertilisers for food production, we need to find a way to do this without emitting more CO₂ into the atmosphere. For many of these industries, CCUS is the only option and a critical lifeline to support their decarbonisation.

Olivia Powis, CEO of the CCSA said:

“COP29 provided a crucial platform to share insights, address barriers, and showcase the opportunities for scaling CCUS technologies globally. The UK’s leadership in CCUS, combined with international collaboration and innovative financing solutions, will be key to ensuring CCUS plays its full role in global decarbonisation efforts.”

“What we need now is rapid deployment. Industry has already made significant investments in developing CCS projects, particularly in the UK, and with the right regulatory frameworks and government support, we can unlock even more potential. To meet our ambitious climate goals, it’s essential that we move from planning to action and accelerate the development of these critical technologies. The time to act is now.”

Notes to Editors

Key Takeaways from COP29 CCS Financing Event:

Moderated by Tim Dixon of IEAGHG, the side event at COP29 brought together experts to explore pathways for scaling CCS globally.

• Scaling CCS in Emerging Economies
Barriers like high capital costs, limited infrastructure, and regulatory challenges were discussed. Success stories, such as Trinidad and Tobago’s Technology Needs Assessment and Alberta’s TIER system, highlighted how targeted policies and financing can drive CCS progress.

• Global CCS Momentum
Brad Crabtree from the US Department of Energy shared that over 600 CCS projects are in development worldwide, with US tax incentives serving as a model for cost reduction and broader deployment.

• Innovative Financing Solutions
Experts highlighted the importance of mechanisms beyond direct subsidies, including carbon credit trading and international collaboration. Knowledge sharing, as exemplified by the International CCS Knowledge Centre, was noted as essential for effective project scaling.

• The Role of COP29 in Climate Finance
This event took place in the context of COP29’s critical discussions on climate finance, including the establishment of a new collective quantified goal to replace the current $100 billion annual target. Participants also highlighted the importance of operationalising the Loss and Damage Fund, which could support emerging economies in developing CCS projects.

Panellists:
• Tim Dixon – General Manager and Director, IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme (IEAGHG) (Moderator)
• Brad Crabtree – Assistant Secretary, Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), US Department of Energy
• Katherine Romanak – Researcher, University of Texas at Austin
• Olivia Powis – Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA)
• James Fann – President and CEO, International CCS Knowledge Centre
• Olav Øye – Policy Adviser, Bellona Environmental Foundation (Bellona)
• Clarine Ovando-Lacroux – Representative, UN Environment Programme Copenhagen Climate Centre (UNEP-CCC)
• Donneil Cain – Representative, Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC)

This joint side event was hosted by the CCSA, IEAGHG, University of Texas at Austin, Bellona, and the International CCS Knowledge Centre. The event underscored that progress on Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement could further reduce costs and facilitate international cooperation in CCS deployment.

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.

For media enquiries please email pr***@************on.org

[End]

850 representatives from across the carbon capture industry gather in London at an important time for the sector
Minister Jones reconfirmed the UK Government’s commitment to the Cluster Sequencing Programme, highlighting the projects that will follow Track-1
The CCSA conference follows from recent Track-1 funding commitments from the UK Government and the publication of the Industrial Strategy Green Paper

[Tuesday 15 October, London] – Following the UK Government’s International Investment Summit and publication of the Industrial Strategy Green Paper on Monday 14 October, the CCSA brings together over 800 industry and government representatives to discuss the global opportunities of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS).

The two-day conference in London, featuring global industry representatives and official delegations from America, Canada, and China, comes at a pivotal time for the CCUS sector.

Giving the keynote speech on the opening day, Sarah Jones MP, Minister for Industry at both the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and the Department for Business and Trade, set out the Government’s clear commitment to deliver carbon capture projects across the length and breadth of the UK.

Addressing the conference, Minster Jones, said that through carbon capture, the UK is “rejuvenating our industrial heartlands.” She noted the importance of the first two Clusters in decarbonising manufacturing processes such as glass and cement with “CCUS a necessity, not an option.”

With the Government recognising the economic growth potential of carbon capture projects, the industry welcomed the Minister’s words on the purpose of the Industrial Strategy Green Paper in “getting British people designing and building things again.” She highlighted the UK’s “great storage potential” and our ability to “extend vast carbon [capture] highways to Europe,” in a clear signal to the longer-term export potential of developing the UK market.

As noted by the Minister, with the “deep skills and expertise from the North Sea oil and gas sector” the UK is naturally positioned to become a world leader in this key low-carbon technology to deliver net zero by 2050.

Speaking at the conference, Olivia Powis, CEO of the CCSA said:

“The global ambition to deliver carbon capture projects at scale and pace to meet our net zero targets is clear to see from the level of enthusiasm at this year’s CCSA conference.”

“The CCUS industry is on the cusp of deployment, and with supportive policy frameworks being developed across key markets, there is global momentum to see projects get off the ground, with further investments being considered into important anchor projects.

“Minster Jones gave a clear message that the UK Government understands the potential of CCUS in decarbonising industry and power, supporting jobs and delivering a just transition to net zero. With the UK ready to deliver CCUS, we can roll out this learning from the steps being taken across the first two clusters across the North East and North West of England and Wales. It is encouraging to see CCUS at the heart of the global net zero mission.”

Notes to Editors

Photos

Left-hand photo: Olivia Powis, CEO of the CCSA.
Right-hand photo: Sarah Jones MP, Minister for Industry.
Please credit the CCSA.

Interview requests

For interviews with Olivia Powis, please contact pr***@************on.org

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.

For media enquiries please email pr***@************on.org

Today Clarksons, supported by the Carbon Capture & Storage Association (CCSA), publish a report on “Updated Costs for CO2 Ship Transport”. This study was scoped and led by Clarksons, with peer review provided through the CCSA’s Non-Pipeline Transport working group.

The primary purpose of the report is to provide guidance on the likely cost of transportation of liquefied CO2 by ship, given current price conditions (at time of publishing), and to build on CCSA’s previous publication ‘Achieving a European market for CO2 transport by ship’ on the crucial role of shipping for CCUS in Europe. The report provides a useful benchmark on the expected costs of multiple aspects of the shipping value chain and supports an increase of knowledge throughout the CCUS sector with its publication.

With shipping transportation an essential component of the future CO2 transport system and an integral enabler for the deployment of many dispersed and cross-border CCS projects, it is essential to explore the potential cost and opportunities of this developing market.

The report focuses on a number of example trade routes within Northwest Europe, selected only to give a broad comparison of different possible costings, and should not be considered as any indication of market development. Ship transport is expected to benefit a large number of clusters and projects beyond those routes described in the report.

Whilst no study can replicate the results which might be obtained in an established market where the infrastructure is in place, cost factors are known, and firm shipping requirements can be placed into the market; the results of this study give a theoretical but near realistic estimate. The report provides helpful insights into the different parameters which can affect the cost of CO2 transportation by ship and demonstrates that shipping CO2 is a viable option for multiple clusters and routes across Europe, including but not limited to those included in the study.

Read the full report here.
Visit the Clarksons website here.
Clarksons can be contacted at CO*@*******ns.com

We have received a draft of the final report of our project with Carbon Balance, Markets and Mandates. The report sets out the findings of the workshops and desktop research on market and mandate approaches to driving CCS deployment, with a focus on carbon storage / carbon takeback obligations. It does not recommend any particular policy approach, but sets out issues, considerations and parameters that would need to be taken into account when considering polices to move the UK towards a self-sustaining CCS market.

You can access the draft here: M&M to share with members 21-06-24

If you have any comments on the report, please send them to Rebecca Bell (re**********@************on.org) by the end of Friday 28 June.

We will also hold a session for members to discuss the report from 10-11 on Friday 28th June: if you would like to attend please contact Rebecca for an invite.

Markets and Mandates: How best to drive pace in CCS deployment?

A new briefing paper: Briefing Note. Markets and Mandates – How best to drive pace in CCS deployment out today from the CCSA, Oxford Net Zero and the Carbon Balance Initiative kicks off work to explore the role of markets and mandates in driving CCS in order to reach net zero by 2050.  The briefing has been developed based on existing positions in the spirit of posing questions and prompting discussion and feedback.  This paper is deliberately designed to not reach any conclusive positions at this stage.

Focusing particularly on policy options for scaling up CO2 storage, the paper sets out three key types of policy mechanism and drills into one potential option: a carbon takeback / storage obligation.

This briefing paper will form the basis of a roundtable that the three parties are holding during COP 28 in Dubai, to explore the issues and considerations around market and mandate measures, in order to identify the key questions and suggest a scope for later economic modelling work that we hope will be taken forward as part of the wider industry workplan, following the publication of the CCUS Vision work anticipated next month.

If you are interested in finding out more about the CCSA’s work on markets and mandates, please contact Rebecca Bell (Re**********@************on.org).

Welcome to the Carbon Capture and Storage Association’s (CCSA) new blog – where we will post stories, reviews and opinions on a variety of current CCUS topics in the UK, Europe and internationally.

I joined as CEO of the CCSA in October 2021, and it has been a busy few months to say the least!  In October 2021, on my second day in post, the UK Government announced the first CCUS projects that will be taken forward under Track1 of the CCUS Cluster Sequencing process, namely the HyNet North West cluster and the East Coast Cluster, with the Scottish Cluster announced as a reserve cluster.

On the same day, the UK Government published the Net Zero Strategy – which set out a new target for CCUS of 20 – 30 Mt carbon dioxide to be captured and stored each year by 2030. This is a three-fold increase of ambition from the Ten Point Plan target of 10 Mt per year, agreed less than a year before. No sooner had we had a chance to digest this news before it was time to travel to Glasgow for COP26. The last COP I attended was COP15 in Copenhagen in 2009, whilst Head of International CCUS at DECC.  Whilst COP15 was a similar event in terms of number of people attending, it could not have been more different with regard to CCUS. At COP15, CCUS did not receive much attention, whereas COP26 saw CCUS rising up the agenda, driven by the need to consider how to achieve Net Zero across the global economy.

In terms of events, the CCSA was involved in seven CCUS side events, including an official UNFCCC broadcast event with our COP26 Partners; IEA GHG, University of Texas at Austin, International CCS Knowledge Centre and Bellona.  This level of exposure was unprecedented, with some 32 CCUS events taking place over the course of the two weeks.

Inside the negotiating rooms where the real action was, progress was made on several key areas –finalisation of the rules for Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, creating the framework for a global carbon market; the Glasgow Climate Pact commitment to phase down unabated coal power; and the pledge to mobilise $500bn by 2025 to help developing countries adapt to climate effects, as well as the commitment to update Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) again by the end of 2022. The agreement on Article 6 rules makes the Paris Agreement fully operative and the wording implies that the global carbon market will be technology neutral, meaning it should be applicable to both CCUS and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies.  As always, the devil will be in the detail, and we will have to wait to see the further recommendations requested by the Parties on Article 6 definitions, to understand how the framework will be applied.

Three months on, I’m keen to see the UK government maintain the positive momentum of COP26 and keep the pressure on countries to consider the important role CCUS and CDR technologies can play in realising Nationally Determined Contributions, creating an environment for these technologies to flourish and therefore get us on track to reach net zero goals and limit global warming to 1.5°C.

For more insights on COP26 be sure to watch our webinar ‘CCUS reflections from COP26 and international CCUS developments’ with fellow panellists Tim Dixon (IEAGHG) and Guloren Turan (GCCSI) available on demand on our website.

30 June 2021, 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 launch of the landmark report from the Coalition for Negative Emissions; “The case for Negative Emissions”.

The report sets out the important role that negative emissions must play, alongside efforts to reduce emissions, in order to reach climate goals.

In addition, the report shows that negative emissions technologies such as bioenergy with CCS (BECCS) and Direct Air Capture with Storage (DACS) are proven and ‘ready to go’ – each capable of removing a significant amount of emissions from the atmosphere and creating millions of new jobs worldwide.

The CCSA is proud to be a member of the Coalition for Negative Emissions, which includes over 20 leading companies, NGOs, investors and trade associations.

The full report and technical appendix can be found here.

The Coalition are also holding a webinar on Thursday 1 July 14:00-15:30 BST to discuss the findings of the report, in partnership with McKinsey Sustainability and as part of London Climate Action Week. Further details of the event can be found here.