Victoria Mustard, Decarbonisation Strategy Lead at Xoserve, explores the role of carbon capture technology in the UK’s clean energy transition.
The latest Digest of UK Energy Statistics report by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero shows that natural gas accounted for 38% of the UK’s total energy demand in 2022, an increase of almost 8% from the previous year. This statistic shows that gas is still playing a crucial role in meeting the country’s energy needs.
However, the energy industry and the government are under increasing pressure to reduce consumer reliance on natural gas and decarbonise the country’s fuel supply.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology could play a significant role in the UK’s net zero energy transition. For example, CCS can reduce emissions from industries that are difficult to decarbonise, such as steel or glass production.
Moreover, CCS can support the generation of low-carbon hydrogen and biomethane, contributing to a more flexible energy supply and supporting power generation from wind and solar energy on still and overcast days.
Supporting the energy transition
CCS is a process used to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at the source, storing them underground where they can be kept out of the atmosphere. This has the potential to make carbon-emitting processes carbon neutral.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) Sustainable Development Scenario forecasts that carbon capture technology will play a significant role in the UK’s energy transition, particularly in industries that are difficult to decarbonise.
However, like any new technology, CCS has its benefits and limitations, all of which need to be considered.
At Xoserve, we recognise that to meet the UK’s climate goals, we will need a flexible power system that can support the gap between renewable energy output and demand, currently being met by gas.
To enhance energy security – an increasing priority for governments worldwide – we need a whole-system solution that integrates a mix of fuel sources and technologies, rather than a one-solution approach.
Decarbonising natural gas in the short term
One of the main benefits of CCS technology is that it could offer a short-term solution to decarbonise natural gas. This could be a good approach while we build renewable energy policy and infrastructure to replace the 738Twh of energy that gas produces annually.
For example, a low-carbon gas such as hydrogen is seen by many as a crucial component of a future energy system. CCS would play a vital role in the production of blue hydrogen – generated from natural gas alongside CCS – when hydrogen generated from renewable sources is unavailable.
As a result, carbon capture could help support the decarbonisation of the gas network with low-carbon hydrogen.
For other low-carbon gases, such as biomethane, CCS allows the capture of CO2 during the production process, while in the past it used to be vented into the atmosphere. With direct air capture and CCS, the carbon dioxide can be either repurposed for industrial applications – for example, in breweries – or safely sequestered.
Limitations of carbon capture technology: Cost and scalability challenges
Despite its potential benefits, carbon capture technology is not without limitations. For example, there are challenges around scalability, long-term security, and cost. The technology is still relatively expensive and requires significant investment to build and operate the necessary infrastructure, which some believe should instead be invested in growing renewable energy projects.
Finding suitable storage sites is also a major hurdle to overcome, as the trapped CO2 underground needs to be monitored for centuries to ensure it is not released into the atmosphere.
To avoid this, we need to identify safe storage locations and implement a long-term monitoring plan for CCS to ensure it effectively contributes to combating climate change long-term.
Questions about the scalability of carbon capture technology have also been raised.
Although the technology can reduce emissions in individual facilities, it is unclear whether it can be scaled up to a level that would have a significant impact on emissions at a national scale. If that were a possibility, there are further concerns that CCS could encourage prolonged use and investment in fossil fuels, hindering efforts to switch to greener energy sources.
CCS may also prove challenging in a domestic setting – for example, putting a mechanism to capture carbon on a cooker or boiler seems ludicrous. With 80% of carbon emissions produced by domestic heat and cooking, CCS and storage wouldn’t be as effective in addressing the lion’s share of carbon emissions, and the energy industry would need to look at alternative solutions for decarbonising homes.
Current CCS projects
The UK has positioned itself as one of the global leaders in the development and deployment of CCS technology. Earlier this year, Grant Shapps, the Energy and Net Zero Secretary, unveiled the “powering up Britain” strategy, which included a £20bn investment in developing carbon capture technology to meet consumer demand and transition to net zero.
The country already has several CCS projects underway, including HyNet, an industrial decarbonisation project in the North-West and North Wales to capture the carbon dioxide currently generated from burning natural gas as a fuel or as part of the manufacturing process.
Recently, it was announced that two projects, Acorn and Viking, located in northeast Scotland and Humberside, respectively, have been selected to become CCS clusters.
These projects aim at establishing low-carbon industrial hubs, improving energy security, and decreasing carbon emissions. Viking, in particular, plans to transport and store up to 15 million tonnes of CO2 every year by 2035.
CCS isn’t the solution to climate change
The UK’s commitment to CCS demonstrates that the country believes in this technology’s crucial role in the energy transition. Yet, the notion that “it starts at home” has never rung so true. The energy industry and government must focus on how to decarbonise our homes to make a significant impact on climate change, and in my opinion, carbon capture isn’t the answer.
CCS as part of a broader suite of decarbonisation solutions can support energy demand where power from solar and wind fall short.
However, the priority needs to be on reducing carbon emissions at the point of generation by investing in renewable energy and utilising existing grid and gas infrastructure.
