Scotland is to design a blueprint to ensure carbon capture and storage technology (CCS) can be implemented effectively around the world. The Global CCS Institute has asked Scotland to develop a toolkit to help nations test the strength of regulations and the permitting process, build knowledge and test public engagement, ensuring CCS can be safely rolled out.
The move is a vote of confidence in Scotland’s forward thinking approach to carbon capture and storage, a way of safely storing emissions from fossil fuel power stations.
The work will be carried out by the Scottish CCS Centre in Edinburgh, supported by the Scottish Government and the Scottish European Green Energy Centre. The toolkit will be promoted by Global CCS Institute around the world and the work is being used in various European initiatives.
“Scotland is at the forefront of global efforts to develop CCS, with the largest offshore storage capacity in Europe in the North Sea and the UK’s leading candidate for a demonstration project at Longannet,” says Scottish Energy Minister Jim Mather. “Alongside one of the highest renewable electricity targets in the world, we need to reduce emissions with carbon capture and storage technology on fossil fuel power stations. To make this a reality, we have to ensure it is safely and appropriately regulated.”