Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage Programme
The government sees Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) as central to achieving net zero by 2050. CCUS can potentially address several challenges to decarbonising the economy, such as in the power sector, and may be the only practical way to decarbonise some industries, such as cement production.
Through its CCUS programme, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) aims to establish the technology in four industrial areas, or clusters, in the UK to capture and then store 20 to 30 million tonnes of carbon per year by 2030.
In the March 2023 Budget, HM Treasury announced up to £20 billion to support the early development of the CCUS programme.
This report examines:
- how DESNZ responded to the lessons of previous attempts to support CCUS in designing the current programme
- the progress DESNZ has made with the current CCUS programme
- the key risks and issues that DESNZ will need to address to meet its targets for CCUS deployment