Carbon capture tech: How will Government ensure it can use it to achieve net zero?

Evidence Session 

Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage 

Thursday 12^th December, 10am, Grimond Room, Portcullis House   

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) holds an evidence session on carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) at 10am on Thursday 12^th December, following the National Audit Office's recent report on the topic. 

CCUS is the process of capturing and storing CO2 emitted from power stations and heavy industry. It has become central to the Government's legally-mandated pledge to achieve net zero by 2050 because of the role it is able to play in decarbonising a number of areas such as the power sector and cement production. There remain no facilities operating at commercial scale in the UK.   

The NAO's report found that the Government has not fully considered whether its CCUS programme's design should be changed despite increasing reliance on it to meet net zero. It also highlighted the fact that even if all eight of its first set of CCUS projects are delivered, these will only provide a quarter of the carbon capture capacity needed to meet the Government's targets for 2030. 

According to the NAO, the Government has learned lessons from previous failed attempts to launch CCUS in the UK, including by basing its approach towards schemes across tight geographical clusters rather than single projects. This allows infrastructure costs to be shared and risks reduced. MPs will likely explore with officials how far the risks of future stages of the CCUS programme are being managed, including around the building of the pipelines necessary to transport the captured carbon. 

Other topics will likely include:  

·       Progress with the early stages of the CCUS programme and delays in agreeing Government support for the first tranche of projects; 

·       How Government will ensure the technology makes the contribution required to reach net zero; and  

·       Next steps for the CCUS programme. 

Witnesses 

From 10am: 

·       Jeremy Pocklington CB, Permanent Secretary, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) 

·       Ashley Ibbett, Director General for Energy Infrastructure, DESNZ 

·       Paro Konar, Director and Senior Responsible Owner for Hydrogen and Industrial Carbon, DESNZ 

·       Steve Field, Director for Climate, Energy and Environment, HM Treasury 

-Ends-   

Notes to editors 

The PAC reported on the Government's efforts on carbon capture and storage (CCS) in 2017, when it found that despite spending £168m, the then-Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) had failed to support the construction of the UK's first large-scale CCS projects.