According to a recent article by the Clean Air Task Force (CATF), if the UK were to be included in the EU CO2 storage network, it would benefit both jurisdictions greatly.
The write-up reflects on Europe’s ramping up efforts to deploy carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) solutions to meet its climate targets, and the notion that captured CO2 should move freely within the region.
This would help countries with little or no suitable geological formations for CO2 storage store their emissions safely in countries where such formations are abundant, which will both help reduce costs and mitigate risks associated with the unavailability of specific sites.
The UK happens to be exactly such a country, with ideal geological conditions for permanent CO2 storage. Due to Brexit, however, a political barrier currently prevents its substantial storage capacity from being utilized by CO2 emissions from EU-based sources.
Despite the UK’s own storage legislation being implemented under the 2009 ‘CO2 Storage Directive‘, its storage is no longer considered permitted within the scope of EU legislation.
Consequently, EU plans for rapid CCS scaling are largely overlooking the UK’s storage potential. Norway, although not an EU member, can participate in the European Economic Area (EEA) and is subject to the ETS, avoiding the same barriers as the UK.
Relevant: Clean Air Task Force Paper Explores Carbon Contracts For Difference In The EU Policy Landscape
With abundant storage capacity beyond its own needs, Norway and Denmark are well-positioned to import CO2 from emission-intensive economies in North-West Europe and the Baltic.
Given these options, the EU may question the necessity of accessing the British side of the North Sea.
The case for including the UK in Europe’s CO2 storage network
CATF argues that the UK’s announced storage projects represent nearly 40% of the total estimated capacity currently under development in Europe, and it has issued numerous exploration licenses.
The UK’s proximity, with the existing gas pipeline ‘Interconnector’ linking Bacton in the UK to Zeebrugge, Belgium, makes it a viable option for CO2 transportation.
This route could be repurposed for a CO2 pipeline, offering direct access to nearby storage sites in the UK’s Southern North Sea.
Such a connection would be comparable in length to planned pipelines connecting Rotterdam with offshore storage in the Netherlands and would be significantly shorter than proposed pipelines linking Norwegian storage sites with continental Europe.
Read more: UK Proposes Including Carbon Removal In ETS
