The UK government’s pledge of £22bn to Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) facilities, aimed at capturing and storing carbon dioxide released by the country’s industries in order to prevent it entering the atmosphere, has come under attack, with MPs raising concerns that its financial implications on individual consumers and businesses have not been properly assessed. Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, has stated that the technology is unproven and likely to increase industry bills, as well as those of consumers. The government has pointed out that CCUS is essential to reach the UK’s net zero targets, and that its deployment is necessary if the worst effects of climate change are to be avoided.
The UN’s climate science body, the IPCC, and the UK’s independent climate watchdog, agree that CCUS is pivotal if the UK economy is to achieve net zero in its emissions by 2050. Proponents argue that the technology will guarantee the country’s energy security, which in turn will lead to lower electricity costs, though critics say early trials and pilot sites in the UK have failed to inspire confidence in the technology’s potential. The government has pledged to prevent 50 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, more than 10% of the UK’s current total, through clusters of CCUS facilities in Merseyside and Teesside.
The Public Accounts Committee has, in addition, criticised the government for signing contracts with CCUS developers in 2020 without outlining any profit-sharing mechanisms. MPs have recommended that any future contracts should include profit-sharing with the government and wider public set to gain benefits, so as to make the funding model more sustainable. One researcher, Dr Stuart Jenkins, contends that the technology shouldn’t be labelled ‘unproven’, though he concedes that the questions around the viability of its current funding model remain a cause for concern.
As the UK seeks to switch over to renewable energy sources, it’s still expected that maintaining electricity supply may require the use of fossil fuels, particularly given the lack of available green alternatives for some industries such as cement. Carbon capture provides a potential solution to the Carbon Dioxide emissions problem generated by these industries
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