By Faridat Salifu
The UK government has committed nearly £22 billion to carbon capture and storage projects aimed at reducing emissions from energy, industry, and hydrogen production.
The funding, it was gathered, will support two carbon capture clusters located on Merseyside and Teesside, with promises made for the next 25 years.
This initiative is expected to create thousands of jobs, attract private investment, and assist the UK in meeting its climate goals.
During a visit to the North-West, Labour Leader, Sir Keir Starmer, accompanied by Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, was said to have emphasized that the initiative would “reignite our industrial heartlands” and “kickstart growth.”
However, some environmental campaigners have criticized the funding, arguing it could prolong reliance on oil and gas production.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies aim to prevent carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industrial processes and power generation from entering the atmosphere.
Most of the CO2 is captured, transported, and stored deep underground. The International Energy Agency and the Climate Change Committee view CCS as crucial for achieving greenhouse gas reduction targets.
Despite plans first announced by Miliband in 2009 during the last Labour government, progress in the UK has been slow. Speaking at a glassmaking factory in Cheshire, Starmer stated that the initiative reassures energy-intensive industries such as glass, cement, and steel about their future in a decarbonised economy, asserting that this “does not mean de-industrialisation.”
In an interview on the programme, Miliband described the project as vital for decarbonisation without industrial decline. “This is a government willing to invest in the future of Britain, creating new, good jobs,” he said, referencing the transition away from coal-fired energy. “If Monday marked the end of an era, today signifies the beginning of a new one.”
The funding, approximately £21.7 billion, will subsidise three projects on Teesside and Merseyside, enhancing the infrastructure needed for carbon transport and storage.
This investment aims to instil confidence in industry, potentially attracting £8 billion in private investment, directly creating 4,000 jobs, and supporting an estimated 50,000 jobs in the long term.
The projects are expected to begin storing captured carbon by 2028, with a target to remove 8.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.