UK Government Pledges £22 Billion to Carbon Capture Clusters in Merseyside and Teesside
Key Ideas
  • The UK government has committed nearly £22 billion over 25 years to develop carbon capture clusters in Merseyside and Teesside, aiming to create jobs and meet climate goals.
  • This funding will support projects capturing carbon emissions from hydrogen production, gas power, and energy from waste, with a focus on transporting and storing the captured carbon underground.
  • The initiative is expected to create 4,000 direct jobs, attract £8 billion in private investment, and help remove 8.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually, contributing to a cleaner energy future.
  • While welcomed by industry and experts for its potential to pave the way for large-scale hydrogen production in the UK, environmentalists have raised concerns about reliance on fossil fuels for blue hydrogen, urging for more sustainable solutions.
The UK government has announced a significant investment of nearly £22 billion over the next 25 years to develop carbon capture clusters in Merseyside and Teesside. The aim of this funding is to create and support thousands of jobs, attract private investment, and assist the UK in meeting its climate goals. Carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) technology will be utilized to capture emissions from energy production, industrial processes, and hydrogen production, transporting them for permanent storage underground. This initiative is seen as crucial by organizations like the International Energy Agency and the Climate Change Committee to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change. The funding will specifically target subsidizing projects in Teesside and Merseyside, focusing on capturing carbon from various sources like hydrogen, gas power, and energy from waste. It will also support the development of infrastructure for transporting and storing carbon, including two networks leading to deep geological storage in Liverpool Bay and the North Sea. The government expects this investment to boost industry confidence, attract private investment, create thousands of jobs, and annually remove 8.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions. While praised by businesses and experts for its potential to drive clean energy transition and create employment opportunities, there are concerns raised by environmentalists. The reliance on blue hydrogen, produced from natural gas with captured carbon emissions, has been criticized as still tethered to fossil fuels. Greenpeace, in particular, has warned about the risks of investing in solutions that prolong oil and gas production, advocating for a shift towards truly sustainable industries. Despite differing opinions, the government's commitment to industrial growth, job creation, and climate action through CCUS technology has been met with both praise and caution.
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