Government refuses to raise carbon capture power targets
Published 24 August 2023
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The government has resisted pressure to step up the pace of targets for rolling out carbon capture power plants.
The UK has already set a target that as much as 10GW of power plants fitted with CCUS (carbon capture, use and storage) technology could be required by 2035 in order to meet emissions target reductions for the sixth carbon budget, which covers 2033 to 2037.
A response to a consultation on a proposed future policy framework for delivering power CCUS, which concluded in October last year, says a number of respondents suggested this level would be the minimum needed.
More is likely to be needed to deliver a “secure and decarbonised” electricity system, they say, with analysis by one respondent suggesting that 20GW to 30GW of power CCUS could be required by 2050 in order to ensure security of supply.
But the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s response says it will not introduce a new specific target or ambition for power CCUS at this stage.
The response says it is clear that significant capacity of low-carbon dispatchable generation will be required from sources such as hydrogen-powered generation and power CCUS, which is identified as a key technology.
But it says other forms of flexibility will also be needed, such as batteries, long duration electricity storage and demand side response.
Maintaining the existing 10GW target provides necessary assurance to the power CCUS industry while “allowing the exact mix of technologies providing low carbon flexibility to be determined by market developments, such as cost reductions, technology development, and the buildout of enabling infrastructure”, it says.
The response says the government will provide clarification on the future of CCUS when it sets out a vision for the UK carbon capture sector this year. In addition, a long-term strategy for all types of flexibility is due to be set this out this autumn through the next consultation on the government’s Review of Electricity Market Arrangements.
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