Carbon capture 'could boost UK economy by £100bn by 2050'

Capture and storage could be worth £20bn to the economy in the next decade, report suggests

A pilot plant for carbon dioxide capture at Amager Bakke in Copenhagen, Denmark. Reuters

The UK has enough capacity to hold two centuries’ worth of emissions with carbon capture and storage to be worth £100 billion ($120bn) by 2050, a report has said.

The UK has large industrial clusters, extensive gas transport infrastructure and good scientific understanding.

But despite the country being well-placed to become a world leader in the technology, the Offshore Energies UK report said Britain’s supply chain was fragile.

The UK is at risk of losing the industry to more attractive opportunities abroad, and the government must act fast to secure its future, the paper warned.

Katy Heidenreich, OEUK’s supply and operations director, said carbon capture was “a key tool in our fight against climate change” and offered the opportunity for the “offshore energy supply chain to help energy-intensive industries cut emissions”.

“If we get this right, it could unlock £100bn of work for UK manufacturing employers by 2050," Ms Heidenreich said.

"This will support UK jobs, cut emissions, boost the economy and develop skills that can be exported globally.

“Lots of progress has been made but without urgent action the UK will miss out on the opportunity to secure a leadership position in this exciting new sector.”

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Carbon capture is seen by many as a critical technology to help energy intensive sectors, such as cement and power generation, to meet their net-zero goals.

The UK government’s Net Zero Strategy said the country needed to capture 50 million tonnes a year by 2035.

The system works by capturing the carbon dioxide at the source, rather than letting it go out into the atmosphere.

The emissions can then be stored in offshore areas of Scotland, eastern England and Merseyside, with the rock formations having the potential to hold up to 78 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.

The report authors said that is the equivalent of two centuries’ worth of UK emissions as of today.

Most of the storage is in the North Sea, and the paper also said there was an opportunity to use the geological formations and depleted oil and gas reservoirs to store emissions from other countries.

The report, commissioned by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, found that offshore oil and gas supply chain companies already had some capabilities in areas including plant design and engineering, plant fabrication and construction.

According to their forecast, carbon capture and storage could be worth £20bn to the economy within the next decade.

As part of the report, they identified 13 actions for the UK government and industry, including the need for support from the government through early-stage funding and additional licensing rounds.

It said securing the work in the UK would benefit Aberdeen, Inverness, Liverpool, North Wales, East Anglia, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and Teesside.