DESNZ Secretary of State Claire Coutinho confirms commitment to Carbon Capture and Storage Cluster and announces significant milestone with HyNet NW Cluster at industry annual conference.
- The conference, organised by the Carbon Capture and Storage Association, is their largest ever, attended by over 700 global industry leaders. Speakers include Secretary of State Claire Coutinho and former Government Chief Scientist Sir David King.
- Carbon Capture Project Pipeline online map is launched to accompany the industry Delivery Plan Update 2023.
- Industry momentum grows as the new Secretary of State reaffirmed strong commitment to the UK clusters programme, announcing a significant milestone with Hynet cluster and work on the CCUS Vision to 2035.
This week, the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA) holds its annual conference, “CCUS 2023 Springboard to Net Zero,” on the 17th and 18th of October in Westminster. Notable speakers included former Government Chief Scientist Sir David King and its key note The Rt Hon Claire Coutinho MP, the newly appointed Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, who announced the Governments plan to publish its vision for the CCUS sector later in the year
CCUS 2023 features 23 sessions, including CCUS’s role in Europe’s decarbonisation journey and accelerating CCUS deployment in the UK, as well as four roundtables gathering global investors and experts on skills and supply chain. The conference is emphasising the critical significance of CCUS in achieving net-zero emissions and provided a platform for in-depth discussions and knowledge sharing among industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators.
The industry also reaffirmed its commitment to the recently published CCUS Delivery Plan Update 2023, with the launch of the Carbon Capture Project Pipeline online map. This provides the underlying data for the Delivery Plan which outlines vital initiatives and milestones for achieving net-zero emissions. It suggests that accelerating the deployment of carbon capture and storage in the UK could secure around £40 billion of inward investment by 2030 and the number of projects in the UK looking to use carbon capture has increased by 28% since last year. But one third of these projects are at risk of relocating overseas if they cannot connect to carbon capture and storage infrastructure in the UK. The Delivery Plan encourages collaboration and innovation is required in the global shift toward a low-carbon future.
The Rt Hon Claire Coutinho MP said:
“The Prime Minister has made it abundantly clear in recent weeks, that we need pragmatic answers to the carbon challenge and there’s no better example of this than CCUS. Carbon capture and storage is pragmatism in action. What’s more common sense than taking advantage of our own geography to address one of the greatest threats facing humanity?
That’s why we remain fully committed to an unprecedented £20 billion for early deployment of the technology, among the biggest funding commitments in Europe, the first 8 projects of the ‘first-of-a-kind capture networks’ we’ll be taking forward in the North East, North West and Wales and the next two carbon capture clusters in North East Scotland and Humber.”
She concluded her speech saying, “Without a doubt, carbon capture and storage stands among the most exciting and effective ways in which Britain can lead in tackling climate change and ultimately, the people in this room have the capacity to make it happen. So let’s make it happen together.”
Ruth Herbert, Chief Executive of the Carbon Capture and Storage Association, said:
“Momentum is building in the UK’s CCUS industry and it is great to see the Secretary of State’s commitment to driving forward the industry. Our showcase 2023 annual conference, in its fifth year, had record attendees and globally significant speakers all united in advancing carbon capture, utilisation, and storage deployment.
But our Delivery Plan makes it clear that further Government policy certainty, and faster progress on decisions over the next 12 months is key to unlocking the tens of billions of pounds of planned CCUS investments in the UK, which could create 70,000 new jobs and retain 77,000 existing jobs nationwide.”
