John Swinney – the First Minister of Scotland – announced earlier today that a fresh round of funding for the Acorn carbon capture project has been approved.
Acorn is a joint venture, being developed by Storegga, Shell UK, Harbour Energy and North Sea Midstream Partners.
The exact amount hasn’t been disclosed but he he is expected to visit the Acorn site later today and said: “Carbon capture and storage (CCS) will play a huge role in Scotland’s net-zero future. The Scottish Government is wholly committed to supporting the Acorn project, which will take advantage of our access to vast CO2 storage potential and our opportunities to repurpose existing oil and gas infrastructure.
Scotland’s energy transition presents one of the greatest economic and social opportunities of our time. This landmark project will help to support a just transition for oil and gas workers in the North-east and across the country by drawing upon their world-leading skills and expertise to create many good, green jobs in the coming years.”
Where is Acorn in the bigger CCS picture in the UK?
The UK government is aiming to support the establishment of two carbon capture and storage clusters by the mid-2020s and a further two by 2030. Through them, it aims to capture 20-30 million metric tons of CO2 per year, part of the UK’s strategy of reaching net zero emissions by 2050.
Back in January 2022, the Government in Scotland set aside £80million to fast-track the project which has since stalled.
Last year in July former UK Prime Minister Sunak confirmed that Acorn in Scotland and Viking in the Humber had been chosen as the third and fourth carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) clusters in the UK, to be developed by 2030. The first two clusters being developed are Hynet and the East Coast Cluster.
The high profile visit from the First Minister also follows confirmation of the role of carbon capture in the new Labour government’s plans.
Read more: Scotland Calls On UK Government To Expedite Acorn CCS Project
