A key plank of the UK government’s ambition to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is the ability to capture and store carbon before it is released into the atmosphere. It has set a carbon capture target of up to 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year by 2030.

To encourage investment in the area and bring down costs, the government has announced a £1 billion (US$1.4 billion) scheme for carbon capture utilization and storage projects. It intends to deploy carbon capture through clusters, which it defines as including a first phase of at least two carbon capture projects, and a transmission and storage network involving both onshore and offshore pipelines and storage capability. This approach allows it to direct funding to areas of greatest potential impact, helping some of the UK’s heavy industrial regions decarbonize and ensuring a socially just transition.

The scheme also encourages collaboration by bringing different bodies together. For success, these groups will need to share information and best practices.

Two projects have been selected for fast tracked funding under Track 1 of the scheme. These are the East Coast cluster in the Humber and Teesside and the Hynet cluster in the North West of England and north Wales.  There are another three clusters in development.  The East Coast cluster alone has the potential to capture nearly 50 percent of UK industrial carbon emissions, and its transition is essential if the UK is to meet its zero carbon goals.  ArchTam has supported the development of the Teesside cluster network since the very start of that project.

While this announcement is welcome, it’s important that the government provides clear signals to the other clusters and their investors that they should continue to develop at the pace required. At a COP fringe event organized by the utility company and energy supplier SSE on CCUS and hydrogen deployment, I will outline that more clarity is urgently needed to unlock much needed private investment in the deployment of CCUS.  This in turn unlocks the deployment of hydrogen, initially through blue hydrogen but then transitioning to green hydrogen.

SSE are at the forefront of developing low carbon power stations to complement the increased deployment of renewables to provide the UK’s electricity, and we’ve have been working with them on the development of the Keadby 3 and Peterhead carbon capture power station projects.

The post Collaboration is key: Why the UK ‘cluster’ approach to carbon capture storage is a great idea appeared first on Blog.

Richard Lowe is a director in our Energy sector. He started with the company over 20 years ago, initially as a senior air quality consultant before moving to permitting and specializing in the power sector. He now leads our energy sector work and in particular, Development Consent Order (DCO) applications for energy projects. He’s worked on 12 to date, including two first-of-a-kind carbon capture projects.

What inspired you to join the industry? I have always had a desire to work on air quality issues for a range of industries, which led me to complete a Master of Science degree in Pollution Control. I was also fascinated by the Ferrybridge power station whenever I’d drive past it. I wanted to work there someday because of its scale and the importance of its role in helping to power the country. I also felt that consultancy would allow me opportunities to advise clients on a range of sites and projects and was interested in the variety that would bring.

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why? It has to be Net Zero Teesside, which is now one of the highest profile carbon capture decarbonization projects in Europe, if not the world. It is a carbon capture utilization and storage project with the aim to decarbonize a cluster of carbon-intensive businesses in northeast England by 2030.

Built on regenerated former steelworks land, the scheme includes a new gas-fired power station, incorporating the latest carbon capture technology. The aim is to capture carbon dioxide from the power station and local industries, which will be gathered through a carbon dioxide pipeline network, then compressed and transported for permanent storage at a suitable offshore geological site under the North Sea.

I was first involved in the site selection for the project, which has subsequently led the consenting phase with integrated support from ArchTam’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), permitting, engineering, remediation and stakeholder engagement teams, including both public and virtual consultation.

As the longest serving individual working over the entire project, I see this development as instrumental in proving if carbon capture can be part of the drive to net zero in the UK and Europe. 

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community. In my support role to our client, SSE, I sat on their Community Liaison Group at Ferrybridge as the only external advisor, having worked on both the EIA for the Ferrybridge multifuel (FM1 and FM2) power stations on the site, and on the environmental permit for the coal-fired power station, itself. 

In this role, I directly engaged with members of the local community and key stakeholders on a regular basis to address their environmental concerns relating to the site developments. Working directly with the public demonstrates the importance of providing full transparency, listening to concerns and finding solutions to reassure communities. Providing positive, impactful solutions for businesses and communities requires continuous open dialogue. Our virtual consultations tool has been really useful in engaging with communities, especially during the coronavirus pandemic when we couldn’t meet face-to-face.

What piece of career advice would you like to share? Keep talking with and listening to the clients you work for so you can continue to deliver quality solutions to their problems. Clients want to work with people they trust and enjoy working with, so building and maintaining relationships is really important. Don’t just move on to the next project and forget the client you have worked with – you never know what new opportunities they may provide for new work.

The post People Spotlight Series: Meet Richard Lowe appeared first on Blog.