The Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA) has today published CCUS Voices which provides insights from experts across the value chain on how to develop the sector.
Drawing on expertise in areas such as power and industrial decarbonisation, innovation and skills, CO2 transport and storage, carbon markets, governance, sustainability and public perception, the ‘Voices’ set out their ambitions for the delivery of a new CCUS industry at pace across the UK and EU.
Ruth Herbert, Chief Executive of the CCSA, said the experts have provided their perspectives on the future opportunities that the industry can unlock, as well as what is needed to spur development.
They also discuss the potential of greenhouse gas removal (GGR) technologies such as Direct Air Capture with Storage (DACS).
She said, “The UK CCUS industry has come a long way in recent years and is now poised ready to deploy the first two CCUS clusters.”
“I have been encouraged by the level of innovation, insight and expertise in the industry, as well as the ambition to drive forward projects to create the low carbon economy.”
Investment, support, scaling and recruitment issues
The August publication sees Tom Glover, Chair, CCSA, and UK Country Chair, RWE tackle CCS and Power, and Dr. Christie Hazell-Marshall, Associate Technical Partner, ERM, focus on industrial decarbonisation and hard-to-abate sectors.
Glover writes, “Our target is for the first of our fleet to be converted to decarbonised operation by 2030. But it’s clear from where I sit, that this ambitious timeline will require significant investment, robust policy support, and major infrastructure development.”
The Innovation and Skills section includes insights from Tom White, CEO, C-Capture, Laura Gillions, Vice-President Marketing & Public Affairs, Carbon Clean, and Suzanne Ferguson, Carbon Capture & Hydrogen Production Consultant at Wood.
Rather than holding formal competitions, imposing artificial limits or selecting individual projects to support, Gillions said it would be far more beneficial to maximise the number of viable projects.
“Setting clear policy criteria will enable projects that are financially viable to proceed on a first-come, first-served basis,” she writes.
Wood is finding it challenging to recruit, train and retain skilled engineers for even the early phase of engineering works, let alone large-scale construction, according to Ferguson.
“The industry must do more to communicate how important, exciting and rewarding the careers are in carbon capture, transport, storage and use, as well as low carbon hydrogen and the circular economy,” she writes.
Sarah Gasda Research Director Computational Geosciences and Modelling NORCE, writing on ‘Unlocking the Future: The Journey to Gigaton-Scale CO₂ Storage’, said the current pace is unequivocally slow.
“Unlocking the enormous storage potential demands a new mindset, transitioning from single isolated projects to many interconnected storage sites around shared infrastructure,” she writes.
“The key to success is openness – between projects, with regulators, with researchers, and towards the public. A rising tide lifts all boats – sharing and collaborating will ensure a smooth path to gigaton storage.”
