Tuesday 29 May 2018
An inquiry into carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) and efforts to kickstart this technology in the UK has been launched.
The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee will examine the government’s commitment to deploying CCUS and whether it has a ‘Plan B’ to meet the nation’s climate targets should the desired cost reductions not materialise.
CCUS is when carbon from power stations and industry is captured and either used for industrial applications or transported to be stored safely underground.
The announcement follows the government’s pledge to invest £21.5 million for innovative CCUS technologies as part of an international challenge with Saudi Arabia and Mexico.
The MPs are seeking views – until 22nd June 2018 - on how essential CCUS is for the UK to meet its carbon targets to 2050, how the government should set the goals for cost reductions and what a realistic level of cost reduction would be and by when.
BEIS Committee Chair Rachel Reeves MP said: “Carbon capture, usage and storage is expected to play an essential part in meeting the UK’s carbon budgets. Yet the government’s budget to kickstart CCUS has been cut from £1 billion to £100 million. In this inquiry, we want to test the government’s ambitions in this area and to examine what policy levers need to be pulled to make large-scale CCUS a reality in the future.”