Media Releases
The Global CCS Institute Welcomes the UK Government’s Decision to Support both Viking and Acorn CCUS Cluster Projects
1st August 2023
The Global CCS Institute welcomes the UK government’s decision to fund two additional carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) cluster projects to further support the UK’s climate targets.
The UK government has selected Acorn CCS and Viking CCS under the Track-2 cluster sequencing process. Funding for the two projects follows a £1 billion commitment made in 2020 to deploy a total of four CCUS clusters by 2030.
Based in northern Scotland, the Acorn project seeks to repurpose legacy oil and gas infrastructure to transport and store captured CO2 under the North Sea. The Viking initiative aims to decarbonise England’s heavily industrialised Humber region, with a target to capture and store 10 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2030.
“The UK government pledged to develop four CCUS hubs and clusters by 2030 and this latest announcement firmly points to the government’s commitment to scale up CCUS and drive down emissions”, said Guloren Turan, General Manager of Advocacy and Communications with the Global CCS Institute. “Both the Acorn and Viking cluster projects will tackle CO2 emissions in the UK’s industrial hot spots and support a just low-carbon transition on the road to net zero”, added Ms. Turan.
Further to Track-2 projects, both the East Coast Cluster in England’s Teesside and Humber area, along with the Hynet Cluster in North Wales and North West England, have previously been selected to receive funding for deployment under the Track-1 cluster sequencing process.
The UK government notes that the deployment of CCUS will have the potential to support 50,000 jobs. In addition to the £1 billion set aside to develop four CCUS clusters, the UK Spring Budget 2023 outlined £20 billion in investment towards the climate technology, cementing a commitment to support industrial decarbonisation through CCUS in the UK even further.
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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 deliver climate neutrality. For more information, visit www.globalccsinstitute.com
Media Contact: Ruth Gebremedhin (London): +44 7950278261 ruth.gebremedhin@globalccsinstitute.com