The UK government’s backing of unproven, first-of-a-kind carbon capture technology to reach Net Zero is high risk and more work on the programme’s affordability for taxpayers and consumers is needed, according to a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report.
With no examples of CCUS technology operating at scale in the UK, the PAC’s inquiry heard it may not capture as much carbon as expected, with international examples showing expectations for its performance are far from guaranteed.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Chair of the Committee, said, “Government is gambling on carbon capture technology becoming foundational to achieving Net Zero. In this context, it is welcome to see government learning lessons from past failures to grow these programmes by working with clusters of projects that can support each other. It must now ensure that it has not sown the seeds of its own failure with this approach by making sure that it can direct support to sectors or locations outside of these clusters.”
He added that the £21.7bn funding for CCUS and hydrogen is going to have a “very significant effect” on consumers and industry’s electricity bills.
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