Media Releases

18 November 2020, London UK – The Global CCS Institute welcomes the UK government’s latest funding announcement of £1 billion to support the development of four carbon capture and storage hub and cluster projects across the UK by the end of the decade.

The investment – which earmarks an additional £200 million on top of the existing £800 million in government funding announced in the Spring Budget to support CCS development – is part of a 10-point plan to reach net-zero climate targets by 2050. The funding will help support 50,000 jobs, potentially in areas such as the Humber, Teesside, Merseyside, Grangemouth and Port Talbot.

“The United Kingdom has shown that it’s serious about tackling industrial emissions”, said CEO of the Global CCS Institute Brad Page. “This latest move to develop CCS hubs and clusters across the UK is a significant step forward in mitigating emissions from the UK’s most energy intensive industrial sectors. Not only will these hubs significantly reduce emissions, it will be done through the shared use of CCS infrastructure and transport, helping to reduce the cost and risk to both industry and government”, added Page.

In 2019, the UK moved forward with commitments to place its 2050 net-zero emissions target into law. The government’s new 10-point plan is aimed to align with its current net-zero legislation as per the amended Climate Change Act

“The announcement shows leadership in the UK around CCS, an absolutely key climate technology”, said international adviser to the Global CCS Institute and renowned economist at the London School of Economics, Lord Nicholas Stern. “It’s very important for our own net-zero emissions target and it’s also important beyond the UK in terms of development of the technologies, which we are really going to need”, added Stern.

Along with significant investment towards carbon capture and storage, the UK’s new climate action efforts will also further support offshore wind, nuclear power and hydrogen.

More information on the UK government’s 10-point plan can be found here.

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Media contact:  Ruth Gebremedhin (London): +44 79502 78261, ruth.gebremedhin@globalccsinstitute.com

About the Global CCS Institute:  The Global CCS Institute is an international think tank whose mission is to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS), a vital technology to tackle climate change and provide energy security. Working with and on behalf of our Members, we drive the adoption of CCS as quickly and cost effectively as possible by sharing expertise, building capacity and providing advice and support so that this this vital technology can play its part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For more information, visit globalccsinstitute.com

London, UK – The Global CCS Institute, a think tank backed by governments, industry, research and financial institutions, released today an expert paper aiming to assess and redefine the value and full range of benefits of carbon capture and storage (CCS). The report demonstrates the positive society-wide benefits of the technology, including economic, social and environmental benefits and opportunities linked to this clean energy technology’s deployment.

“CCS needs to be an integral part of the solution to building resilient and climate neutral economies and deliver net-zero emissions. Investment in the technologies also drives economic growth and employment. This paper brings together recent data, insights and analysis on CCS’ full potential. We hope that it will help policymakers assess the range of opportunities advanced by investing and deploying the technology”, said Guloren Turan, General Manager, Advocacy and Communications, Global CCS Institute.

The paper highlights the imperative need to conceptualise the full potential and multifaceted value of CCS and reveals that it can benefit whole communities, industries, countries and regions.

The analysis of the report finds that as part of a portfolio of climate mitigation solutions, CCS is a cost-effective and versatile option able to significantly reduce CO₂ emissions in several hard-to-abate industrial sectors such as cement, chemicals, and steel, as well as provide low-carbon, dispatchable power. It will also be crucial to decarbonize hydrogen production currently the source of some 700 mtpa of CO₂ emissions (equivalent to combined total emissions of the UK and Indonesia), as well as delivering negative emissions. The deployment of CCS today also lowers the overall cost of the energy transition as well as the risk of falling short on global climate targets, increasing resilience of climate strategies by diversifying technology options.

The report also examines CCS’ role as a driver of economic growth and employment. Addressing social aspects and supporting a just transition, CCS can alleviate the geographic and timing mismatches of the transition. For example, jobs in emissions-intensive industries such as cement, iron and steel are high-quality and high-paid, and often local communities rely on them. CCS application will support the preservation of these jobs.

Furthermore, CCS will support the creation of an industry workforce and supply chain fit for a net-zero economy while also creating and maintaining both direct and indirect employment. In fact, to reach energy-related sustainable development goals and the Paris Agreement, more than 2000 facilities will be needed by mid-century, requiring at least 100,000 employees.

The technologies’ deployment can also create value to society by creating new net-zero industries and innovation spillovers potentially catalysing innovation-led economic growth in other industries. The opportunities to re-use infrastructure for CO₂ storage and transportation in harmony with the large-scale deployment of CCS could also result in significant synergies including ease of permitting and cost reductions as well as deferring decommissioning costs, freeing up overall resources for the energy transition.

Globally, there are now 19 large-scale CCS facilities capturing an estimated 40 million tonnes of CO₂ every year. An additional 32 facilities are at various stages of planning and development.

Full report can be downloaded here.

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Lucy Temple-Smith (Melbourne): +61 466 982 068 lucy.temple-smith@globalccsinstitute.com

Lee Beck (Washington DC): +1 202 677 9053 lee.beck@globalccsinstitute.com

Guloren Turan (London): + 44 782 505 7765 guloren.turan@globalccsinstitute.com

About the Global CCS Institute: The Global CCS Institute is an international think tank whose mission is to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS), a vital technology to tackle climate change and provide energy security. For more information, visit www.globalccsinstitute.com

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Statement on Drax's announcement

Global CCS Institute’s member Drax has announced that a tonne of carbon dioxide a day is now being captured at the company’s power station in North Yorkshire. The biomass power generation project aims to become the world’s first carbon negative power station.  The project also features a new form of post combustion carbon capture on biomass feedstock, instead of coal. In the IPCC 1.5 report, BECCS plays an important role in delivery of global climate targets. In fact, it is present in three of the four scenarios put forward by the IPCC report.

Responding to the announcement, Guloren Turan, General-Manager, Advocacy, for the Global CCS Institute said:  “It is exciting to see Drax’s innovative project taking form. It shows the power of industry leadership on climate action. The project has the potential to kickstart BECCS in the UK and globally. It will also help demonstrate the potential of the technology to decarbonise our energy system.”

For further information about the project and the latest announcement, you can find Drax’s press release here.  

A new report to the UK Government says carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) has a key role to play in decarbonising the country and unlocking major economic, social and environmental benefits.

The report, Delivering Clean Growth: CCUS Cost Challenge Taskforce Report, makes a series of recommendations towards lowering the cost of CCUS deployment from the mid-2020s onwards.

The report responds to the UK Government’s commitments put forward in the Clean Growth Strategy to reach emission reduction targets through deployment of CCUS technology.

UK Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth, the Rt Hon Claire Perry, says in the Report: “There is a genuine opportunity for the UK to become a global technology leader for CCUS, working internationally with industry and governments to drive down the cost of deployment.”

The report, resulting from extensive consultation between leading industry and academic experts, finds that widespread CCUS deployment will help to decarbonise the electricity, gas and industrial sectors, in addition to enabling the creation of new economies like hydrogen.

It recognises that CCUS will allow UK industries to remain competitive, retaining and creating high-value jobs at the same time as unleashing new industries and low carbon products.

It also finds that creating strategic industrial “hubs and clusters” for the first wave of CCUS projects will help drive CCUS costs down.

The report echoes recommendations given by the UK Committee on Climate Change on the pressing need to deploy CCUS at scale to achieve the 2050 targets with at least two CCUS clusters operational from the mid-2020s. It also follows a report by University College London (UCL) commissioned by the Global CCS Institute which made the case for CCS as a key part of an overall decarbonisation strategy.

In its recommendations, the Taskforce emphasises the urgency of investing in CCUS immediately given deployment timescales. This investment will give the UK the opportunity to become a global leader in this field.

The world authority on CCS, the Global CCS Institute, says the Report recognises the importance of CCUS as a unique technology in decarbonising industry and creating new energy economies.

Institute CEO and UK CCUS Council member, Brad Page, says the report represents an important step in providing clear guidance to the UK government with a defined strategic approach to CCUS development.

“The Report lays the foundation for the UK to move to a new energy economy with decarbonised heavy industry and fuels that complement renewable deployment. Early movement may also provide the UK with an opportunity to develop and market new technologies.”

The report and its recommendations will play an important role in the consolidation of the UK Government’s CCUS Deployment Pathway to be published by the end of 2018.

Later this year, the Global CCS Institute is partnering with the UK Government to host an international CCUS conference in Edinburgh (November 29).

CCUS and CCS are proven, safe technologies which have been operating successfully for more than 45 years. CCUS revenues have been instrumental to investment decisions made in China, the United States and the Middle East.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has called CCS "the only technology solution capable of delivering significant emissions reductions from the use of fossil fuels in power generation and industrial processes.”

The UK CCUS Taskforce report can be downloaded here.

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Antonios Papaspiropoulos: +61 401 944 478  antonios.papaspiropoulos@globalccsinstitute.com

Lucy Temple-Smith: +61 466 982 068  lucy.temple-smith@globalccsinstitute.com

Annya Schneider (Brussels): +32 25503972  annya.schneider@globalccsinstitute.com

About the Global CCS Institute: Our mission is to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS), a vital technology to tackle climate change and provide energy security. Working with and on behalf of our Members, we drive the adoption of CCS as quickly and cost effectively as possible by sharing expertise, building capacity and providing advice and support so that this vital technology can play its part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our diverse international membership consists governments, global corporations, small companies, research bodies and nongovernment organisations, committed to CCS as an integral part of a low-carbon future. We are headquartered in Melbourne, Australia with regional offices in Washington DC, Brussels, Beijing and Tokyo. For more information, visit www.globalccsinstitute.com

The Global CCS Institute is delighted to announce the appointment of its CEO, Brad Page, to the newly formed UK CCUS Council and congratulates the UK Government on its recognition of the need to support Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) to meet Paris Climate Change targets.

The Council, which met for the first time in London yesterday (Monday, 29 January), is a clear demonstration of the UK Government’s commitment to a new CCUS approach as outlined in the recently released Clean Growth Strategy (the Strategy).

Led by Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth, the Rt Hon Claire Perry MP, the Council will work with a select group of industry representatives to review the progress and priorities of the Strategy in relation to CCUS. Through the CCUS Council, the UK Government will also monitor costs and deployment potential with the option of revising the CCUS deployment path to meet changing political and policy approaches.

Mr Page said he was honoured to be invited to join the Council, and he believed the Institute, as the world authority on carbon capture and storage (CCS), was well placed to use its large member influence and internal expertise to make this clean technology a central driver in reducing global CO₂ emissions.

“I congratulate Minister Perry and the UK Government for their ambitious support for CCUS. It is a proven, versatile, and commercially robust climate mitigation technology which is starting to gain notoriety as the only technology capable of decarbonizing industry. At the same time, it is a catalyst for a new energy economy including hydrogen, bio-energy and CO₂ re-use applications.”

“CCUS represents a new energy direction which can deliver jobs, energy security and new economies the likes of which have never been seen before. Commitment, investment and multi-party collaboration are crucial to creating this fundamental step-change.”

“I look forward to working with Minister Perry, other UK Government representatives and industry leaders on the key strategic issues that will bring CCUS to the forefront of the climate change debate.”

The Clean Growth Strategy sets out a plan for how the UK can meet legally binding targets to reduce carbon emissions by 57 per cent from 1990 levels by 2032. It identifies CCUS as a vital area of strategic importance, highlighting its potential to support decarbonisation and maximise opportunities across the whole UK economy.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) and CCUS is now commercially successful across 17 large-scale global facilities with a raft of other facilities in development.

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Antonios Papaspiropoulos: +61 401 944 478  antonios.papaspiropoulos@globalccsinstitute.com

Lucy Temple-Smith: +61 466 982 068  lucy.temple-smith@globalccsinstitute.com

Annya Schneider: +32 25503972  annya.schneider@globalccsinstitute.com

About the Global CCS Institute: Our mission is to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS), a vital technology to tackle climate change and provide energy security. Working with and on behalf of our Members, we drive the adoption of CCS as quickly and cost effectively as possible by sharing expertise, building capacity and providing advice and support so that this vital technology can play its part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our diverse international membership consists of governments, global corporations, small companies, research bodies and nongovernment organisations, committed to CCS as an integral part of a low-carbon future. We are headquartered in Melbourne, Australia with regional offices in Washington DC, Brussels, Beijing and Tokyo. For more information, visit www.globalccsinstitute.com