Leadership in carbon capture comes at cost

SEVENTY million tonnes of carbon monoxide could be captured and stored off Scotland’s coastline by 2040, according to a new study commissioned by Scottish Enterprise.

However, an estimated £4.5 billion of capital investment will be needed to enable the country to capitalise on the “huge opportunity” presented by the potential of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the North Sea.

The report claims that Scotland is “ideally placed to become a global leader in CCS technology, storing carbon monoxide produced from the use of fossil fuels in electricity generation in redundant oil and gas fields or deep saline formations in the North Sea”.

The report continues: “The North Sea offers huge capacity for the safe storage of captured CO2 in depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs and saline aquifers. Over 40 years supply chain experience serving the oil and gas industry in Scotland means that much of the skill set and supply chain capabilities for this new sector is already in place.”

The study also highlights the potential of creating a CCS demonstration hub, based around Peterhead harbour and the St Fergus gas terminal in Aberdeenshire and using the two locations to transport the CO2 to offshore sites.

But the report warns: “Anumber of issues will need to be addressed. These include investment in infrastructure, certainty over storage asset suitability and availability, technology development and public awareness and acceptance.”

Fergus Ewing, the Scottish energy minister, said: “Scotland’s capacity to store carbon is the largest in the European Union, and we are working to create thousands of low carbon jobs in the sector. This important report underlines our natural resources and decades of experience in the North Sea, and will help build our ongoing case to establish Scotland as Europe’s carbon storage hub.”