Experts urge UK to stay on track with CCUS funding amid government doubts

EXPERTS have urged the UK to maintain its commitment to carbon capture, usage, and storage (CCUS) despite a government committee expressing its uncertainty over the “unproven” technology.

A recent Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report recommends the government rethink its CCUS budget in light of the technology’s slow progress.

With a £21.1bn (US$26bn) budget over 25 years for the first five CCUS projects, the PAC warns that taxpayers could be at risk if the projects fail to meet expectations.

The report states: “The Department will need to revisit its value-for-money case for supporting CCUS regularly, taking account of changes in the scientific understanding of carbon capture and storage and the impact this may have on the assumptions underpinning its programme.”

'Downgrading ambitions'

The PAC received evidence suggesting CCUS projects may capture less CO2 than expected and noted that the UK’s ambitions fall short of Norway, which has an operational commercial carbon capture project, Northern Lights, jointly owned by TotalEnergies, Equinor, and Shell.

Due to the UK’s lack of commercial experience in the sector, and with only two projects in the pipeline, both in the East Coast Cluster , the committee recommends the government “urgently” set out new CCUS targets specifically stating how much carbon it intends to capture.

CCUS is essential

Academia and industry experts have challenged the PAC’s conclusions, arguing that they overlook evidence of the technology’s success around the world.

Hannah Chalmers, a professor at the University of Edinburgh, said: “There is significant evidence that including CCUS in a mix of technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions will be the most cost-effective way to address climate change. Several large-scale projects have been operating in other countries for many years. Experience from these projects is being used to ensure that the CCUS projects that are being developed in the UK are designed to be reliable and cost-effective.”

Olivia Powis, CEO of the Carbon Capture & Storage Association, added: “With the CCUS industry already investing billions in world-leading projects across the UK, the government needs to urgently maintain momentum on deploying CCUS across our industrial heartlands. The Committee has correctly identified that deployment is behind schedule due to government delays, but by delivering these essential projects we can unlock the huge economic opportunity that is within our grasp.”

The government’s next carbon budget delivery plan, which will include a package of policies geared toward delivering net zero, is due in Q2.