Carbon Capture and Storage Could Clear a Path to the UK's Carbon Reduction Targets: An ETI Technology Programme Highlight Report

Capturing and sealing away carbon dioxide released from industrial processes and electricity generation is acknowledged internationally to be potentially a winning intervention in the battle against climate change. The collected technologies that make up Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) could remove more than 90% of the carbon emissions from energy intensive industries and electricity production. In power generation, CCS not only provides low-carbon output but it also preserves capacity in fossil fuel-fired plant to respond to shifts in demand. This is a near-unique combination that could mitigate the different shortcomings of harnessing the wind, the sun or nuclear fission.
CCS could clear a path to the UK’s carbon reduction targets; secure its energy supplies; and reduce the cost of those achievements. With CCS in play a low-carbon future with secure energy supplies becomes affordable. However, without, our research has found that the costs of meeting the UK’s lowcarbon targets could double to £60bn a year by 2050 at today’s prices.
However, CCS has to be honed technically and commercially before it can become a reality. ETI, supported by its partners, has made important progress and continues to do so.