UKCCSRC Knowledge Exchange Conference 2024 – Plenary 1 (ECR Meeting Fund)

Kofo Awodun (Brunel University of London) and Jacqueline Penn (Newcastle University) share their takeaways from Plenary 1 at the UKCCSRC Knowledge Exchange Conference 2024.

The UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre (UKCCSRC) recently hosted an insightful session at their Knowledge Exchange Conference (held at the University of Sheffield), bringing together some of the brightest minds in the field of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). The first plenary session delved into the key social, technical and environmental considerations shaping the future of CCUS in the UK and beyond. With an emphasis on public perception, the skills needed for a just transition and environmental capacity in industrial clusters, the speakers provided a multifaceted look at the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead on the road to net zero.

Dr Russein Mahon, from Robert Gordon University, kicked off the session with a thought-provoking talk on “The Faces of Carbon Capture and Storage”, focusing on how public perception of CCUS is evolving, and the challenges the industry faces in communicating its importance to diverse audiences. Russein emphasised the need for the CCUS sector to address public concerns about the technology’s safety, its environmental impact and its long-term viability. She observed that while there is increasing recognition of CCUS as a key solution for decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors, misconceptions persist. For example, the association of CCUS with high-risk, “unseen” technologies can lead to public scepticism. Russein highlighted countries that currently have a ban in CCS operations (shown in Figure 1). The key lessons learnt from this research were: stringent emissions regulations are key drivers behind successful CCS projects at scale, pilot projects have the potential to demonstrate value and increase public awareness and acceptability, and community engagement from project inception is required to ensure concerns are addressed and the benefits are clearly communicated.

Figure 1 – Dr Mahon highlighting areas with a recent ban on CCS operations

Next, Jen Roberts, from the University of Strathclyde, took the stage to discuss “Understanding the Skills Ecosystem for Geological CO₂ Storage”—a vital but often overlooked component of the CCUS landscape. The geological storage of CO₂, where captured CO₂ is injected into deep underground formations for long-term storage, presents a unique set of challenges that demand a specialised workforce. From geologists and engineers, to regulatory experts and environmental scientists, the range of expertise needed to ensure safe effective CO₂ storage is vast.

In this research, machine learning (AI) was used to track trends in CCS vacancies to better understand the ‘skills ecosystem’ for geological CO₂ storage. The research stressed the importance of training the next generation of professionals to support the transition to a low-carbon economy—referred to as the “just transition”— which depends not only on technological innovation but also on the creation of new green jobs that are accessible to a wide demographic.

The key challenges in the skills ecosystem highlighted in this research included: fewer graduates, the impacts of cost cutting and the need for flexible opportunities. Jen highlighted the opportunities of subsurface net zero technologies (SNZTs) in opening new industries, supply chains, markets and jobs. By tackling issues with diversity within SNZT sectors, Jen emphasizes the need to support inclusive talent to ensure the right skills are placed right at the right time for climate action.

Figure 2 – Jen Roberts discussing the need to understand skills ecosystems for geological CO2 storage to support a just transition

The final presentation of the session was delivered by Lorraine Hutt, senior adviser in climate change & energy at the Environment Agency.  The presentation on “Environmental Capacity in Industrial Clusters” showcased the work being carried out at the Environment Agency (EA) to enable the ‘right kind’ of net zero transition and shared valuable findings from the UK’s first two CCS clusters. The EA has three strategic goals to enable the right kind of net zero transition: regulating to drive down greenhouse gas emissions, regulating carbon markets and creating a circular economy through sustainable use of materials, energy and water.

In the Humber & Teesside cluster, the local environment in the area is already under strain. Existing habitat protection designations and water quality and quantity concerns are already proving challenging for environmental permit provisions in some parts of the cluster. Hydrogen and CCS projects can impact water availability, water quality, air quality and flood risk. In both clusters – Humber & Teesside and HyNet – cumulative impact studies on air quality and detailed water availability assessments are underway.

Industry must engage and collaborate at a cluster-scale to understand the constraints of the environment in which they operate and work together to find innovative solutions to the capacity constraints. Risks to CCS cluster deployment if industry does not collaborate include: increased waste treatment costs, non-public water supply uncertainty, reduced investor confidence, water quality thresholds being reached and inhibiting future deployments.

The key takeaway from this important presentation from the EA: think like a cluster.

Figure 3 – Lorraine Hutt speaking on environmental capacity in industrial clusters