Fiona Hyslop (Linlithgow)
(SNP): To what extent are Scottish and UK targets
dependent on a well-developed carbon capture, utilisation and
storage project? Today the UK Climate Change Committee published
a report that challenges the UK on its ability to deliver on its
targets. Is the Scottish Government continuing to press the UK
Government to get on with funding the Acorn
project, rather than keeping it on the reserve list?
The Cabinet Secretary for
Net Zero, Energy and Transport (Michael Matheson):
Fiona Hyslop makes an important point, because the Committee on
Climate Change was very clear that carbon capture, utilisation
and storage is critical to Scotland and the UK in relation to
delivering on our climate change targets. That is why the UK
Government’s decision not to support the Scottish Cluster makes
no sense and I believe is a very serious mistake, not just in
terms of delivering on our climate change targets but for the
north-east of Scotland. The UK Government has been happy to lean
on that area and the oil and gas sector for many decades when it
suited, but when it comes to paying back, through investing in
areas such as carbon capture, the Government has let the
north-east down.
It is clear that the issue needs to be progressed and I assure
Fiona Hyslop that we will continue to do everything that we can
to support the Scottish Cluster and to press the UK Government to
reverse that ridiculous decision.
