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First Minister calls for action to end uncertainty on
Acorn Project
First Minister has called on the UK
Government to give the go-ahead for the Acorn carbon capture and
storage (CCS) project to enable Scotland to ramp up its
transition to clean energy.
On a visit to Peterhead Power Station, the First Minister said
that the Scottish Government is wholly committed to supporting
the Acorn Project, and urged the UK Government to set out its
plans and end uncertainty for investors and stakeholders.
The project, based in Aberdeenshire, would take captured CO2
emissions from industrial processes across the country and store
it safely under the North Sea.
The First Minister added:
“Scotland’s net-zero future is being held back by UK Government
dithering and delay. The Acorn scheme should be given approval
now, so that we can take advantage of our unrivalled access to a
vast CO2 storage potential and our opportunities to repurpose
existing oil and gas infrastructure. CCS will play a pivotal role
in achieving a just transition for our workforces, capitalising
on existing world-leading skills and expertise to create many
good, green jobs in the coming years.
“Despite the UK Government confirming in March that Acorn is
‘best-placed’ to meet the eligibility to be awarded Track-2
status, which would allow access to financial support from the UK
Government, they continue to fail to provide a clear timetabled
solution for the next stages of the process. This is entirely
unacceptable and layers further uncertainty on top of
never-ending delays which are impacting investor confidence and
which compromise our climate-change commitments and
just-transition ambitions.
“Acorn’s target of capturing and storing up to five million
tonnes of CO2 annually by 2030 is critical to Scotland’s plans to
achieve net zero by 2045, ahead of the rest of the UK. The scheme
will also help the UK Government to deliver on its commitments.
“While the UK Government prevaricates, we have already
established a £500 million Just Transition Fund for the North
East to build on the region’s world-renowned expertise and
ingenuity, to create jobs, foster innovation and support the
region to deliver a fair and managed transition to net zero.”
Catherine Raw, Managing Director of SSE Thermal, who are part of
the Scottish Cluster group of industrial companies backing the
capture and permanent storage of CO2 emissions, said:
“To unlock the potential of Peterhead and the wider region, it is
vital that the Scottish Cluster is brought forward urgently,
allowing the development of decarbonisation projects to be
accelerated and Scotland’s net-zero ambitions to be met. Doing so
will not only help us meet our energy goals, it will also support
industries and provide a fair and just transition for workers and
communities across the North East of Scotland, including at
Peterhead.
“SSE have set out plans to invest up to £40 billion in the next
decade, including more than £21 billion in Scotland alone.
Renewables will be at the heart of that investment but we also
recognise the need for flexible generation to provide backup when
the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine. Our existing
Peterhead station fulfils that role today, playing a critical
role in Scotland’s energy system.”
Background
Financing a just
transition
