UKCCSRC Knowledge Exchange Conference 2024 – Plenary 2 (ECR Meeting Fund)

Shadab Alam (Teesside University) shares their takeaways from “Plenary 2” at the UKCCSRC Knowledge Exchange Conference 2024.

The second plenary session of the UKCCSRC Knowledge Exchange Conference 2024, held at the University of Sheffield, brought together three distinguished speakers who shared their insights on different aspects of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) implementation in the UK and Europe.

Dr. Hannah Galbraith-Olive from ERM’s Sustainable Energy Solutions team opened the session with her presentation on long-term business models for CCS. Her research, conducted as part of the C4U project under Horizon 2020 funding, identified three crucial components for viable CCS business models: revenue generation, infrastructure ownership and capital financing. Dr Hannah emphasized that a diversified portfolio of business models, tailored to varying market conditions and regulatory environments, is essential for scaling CCS and achieving the EU’s target of storing 50 MtCO₂/year by 2050​. Her analysis suggests the CCS projects should prioritize reducing risks for industrial partners, transitioning toward more mature, self-sustaining markets.

The second speaker, Dr. Andrew Cavanagh from SCCS at the University of Edinburgh, presented a comprehensive techno-economic analysis of carbon capture costs across Europe. His research examined 110 projects targeting a combined capture capacity of 155 million tonnes of CO₂ annually by 2030, split between the UK and European Economic Area.

Dr. Cavanagh’s analysis revealed a clear cost differentiation in carbon capture based on CO₂ concentrations in source streams: (a) Concentrated streams (>90% CO₂) achieved the lowest capture costs ($30-50/t_CO2) that accounted for 8% of the total projects; (b) Diluted Stream (10-30% CO₂) represented the 90% of the projects with moderate cost ($85-115/t_CO2), while direct air capture (DAC) dealing with highly dilute streams (<1% CO₂) showed the highest capture costs of around $250-350/t_CO2 which accounted for just 2% of the total projects. Thus, Dr. Cavanagh proposed a new five-domain cost model that accounts for variations in CO₂ stream concentration and sectoral dynamics which can guide policymakers and investors by providing confidence-based cost metrics, reducing uncertainties and improving market predictability.

The session concluded with Dr. Clair Gough, from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of Manchester, who presented her work on BECCS (Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage) hubs in the UK context. Her research focused on the non-technical challenges facing BECCS deployment, which is expected to play a crucial role in the UK’s net zero strategy by the 2030s. Dr. Gough’s study examined five prospective BECCS supply chains for Power, H₂, Biofuel, Energy and Biogas production in Northwest England, using different biomass such as straw (wheat, barley, maize), sawdust, organic fraction of municipal solid waste and cattle dung which can be utilized in national grids and local industries. Her findings emphasized the need to balance opportunities like shared infrastructure and regional expertise development against resource competition. The research also underscored the significance of community engagement and stakeholder perspectives in successful BECCS implementation.

Together, these presentations painted a comprehensive picture of the current state and future challenges of CCS implementation. From business models and economic considerations to practical deployment challenges and community engagement, the session highlighted the multifaceted approach needed to achieve ambitious carbon capture targets. The presentations aligned with both UK and EU objectives, including the EU’s mandate to capture and store 50 MT of CO₂ annually by 2030 and the UK’s identical target for 2035.

The session demonstrated that while technical solutions for carbon capture exist across various sectors, successful implementation requires careful consideration of economic viability, infrastructure development and social acceptance. The speakers’ diverse expertise, from business modelling and techno-economic analysis to social and policy research, emphasized the interdisciplinary nature of successful CCS deployment. As the UK and Europe move toward their respective carbon capture targets, the insights shared in this plenary session will be valuable for policymakers, industry stakeholders and researchers working to establish effective and sustainable CCS projects. The presentations highlighted both the challenges and opportunities ahead, suggesting that success will require a balanced approach that considers technical, economic and social factors in equal measure.