The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Regulator awards first carbon capture licence to Pale Blue
Oil and Gas Authority says it is keen to play role in transition to low carbon economy
The drive towards a more energy efficient future has been given a boost after the Oil and Gas Authority issued its first carbon capture appraisal licence.
The four-year award will allow Pale Blue Dot Energy (Acorn) Ltd to develop out its Acorn Carbon Capture and Storage project at the St Fergus gas terminal at Peterhead.
The licence allows Pale Blue to do an offshore scoping exercise for the purposes of selecting a potential site for storing carbon dioxide.
The project will look to reuse existing oil and gas infrastructure for the transportation and storage of CO2, although the company would require a further permit in order to move to a practical trial.
The licence grant comes just days after the UK Government revealed its blueprint to develop new carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies.
Work in the field stalled several years ago after a UK Government-backed competition to bring forward new CCS tech was cancelled.
Dr Andy Samuel, chief executive of the Oil and Gas Authority said: “We welcome the government’s recentlyannounced action plan to develop the UK’s first carbon capture, usage and storage projects and are continuing our close working with the government and others to identify existing UKCS infrastructure which could be reused.”
Pale Blue managing director and Acorn CCS project leader Alan James said: “Securing the CCS licence is a really important step to help us develop one of the UK’s first CO2 transportation and storage networks. Through Acorn CCS, Scotland can use legacy oil and gas assets to deliver environmental benefits, unlocking CO2 transportation and storage solutions for other CCUS projects along the east coast of the UK.”
“Scotland can use legacy oil and gas assets to deliver environmental benefits. ALAN JAMES