Scotland powers on in race to store carbon deep underground for thousands of years
Geology and infrastructure means our country is uniquely placed to push ahead with Carbon Capture and Storage, writes Alison Campsie
Scotland is now at a “critical stage” in its bid to become European leaders in the race to capture tonnes of harmful carbon emissions released by heavy industry and store them deep underground for thousands of years, experts say.
Ambitious plans to fit Peterhead power station with a groundbreaking Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) scheme were shelved in 2015 when a £1 billion competition launched by the UK Government to develop the technology was suddenly dropped.
Since then, experts have been working to pursue the CCS agenda north of the Border with two projects, one at Grangemouth and another at St Fergus in Aberdeenshire, now under development by energy firms.
Scotland is deemed to be uniquely placed to push forward with CCS given its geology and existing infrastructure. Both projects will use pipelines no longer required by the North Sea oil and gas industry to transport, deposit and lock carbon dioxide deep under the seabed.
This week, the Scottish Government announced its support of the development of CCS technologies in its latest Climate Change Plan. Although a reserved matter, funding has been given to develop both projects. Professor Stuart Haszeldine, an expert in carbon capture at Edinburgh University, said Scotland now had to “get a shift on” to grasp commercial opportunities presented by the emerging offshore industry.
He said: “We are at a critical stage now. Scotland has a clear plan and a window of opportunity that will only be open for a few years, where old oil and gas pipelines can be used before someone says they have to be removed.
“The Norwegian Government has been looking at CCS for decades and they are now planning their own version, which will probably be working by 2022.
“Other European countries could well look to them to dispose of their carbon dioxide. We need to get a shift on if we are to develop this new business. We certainly have the skills in offshore technology and engineering.
“We are now at the most advanced position in Europe. We now just need the UK government to put up some money and we could start issuing contracts in the next couple of years. We are far ahead of anybody else.”
The Acorn project at St Fergus, led by Pale Blue Dot Energy, will capture carbon dioxide emissions from the St Fergus gas processing plant and transport it for permanent storage beneath the North Sea, using existing redundant oil and gas infrastructure which is currently under threat of decommissioning.
It is hoped St Fergus will become a hub for CCS, with its multiple pipelines taking CO2 from Central Scotland via Peterhead Harbour to North Sea storage sites.
Prof Haszeldine said the St Fergus project could be realised for around £200 million – a fraction of the £1bn earlier offered by the UK Government.
Meanwhile, Summit Energy are working to develop a new gas power plant at Grangemouth complete with CCS technology.
An existing onshore pipeline, known as Feeder 10, will then move the carbon dioxide to the north east coast before it is deposited under the sea bed.
Prof Haszeldine said Westminster had to consider putting a tax on carbon dioxide emissions to further encourage the development of CCS.
He added: “Any new industry needs to know that it has got the support from people who make the rules and we have very clear support from the Scottish Government.”
The UK Government has committed £20m to a CCS demonstration programme.