MPs launch carbon capture inquiry ahead of spending review

MPs have launched a new inquiry into carbon capture and storage (CCS) in a bid to bolster the case for extra support for the sector in the upcoming pan-government spending review.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for CCS announced its “Greening Britain through CCS” inquiry earlier this week.

In its CCUS [carbon capture usage and storage] deployment pathway, published last year, the government committed to delivering the first CCS facility from the mid-2020s.

And the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy select committee has called on the government to raise its ambition for the sector, calling for the rollout of three CCS clusters by the mid-2020s.

The APPG’s review is designed to determine what government action will required over the forthcoming spending review period, which under current plans is designed to cover the period from 2020-2023, in order to enable the first CCS clusters to be developed by the middle of the decade.

An advisory board has been set up to provide expertise and guidance for the inquiry, comprising of representatives from heavy industry, academia, thinktanks and NGOs.

The MPs have issued a call for evidence and will hear from witnesses next month before submitting their recommendations to the government before parliament’s summer recess begins in July.

Alex Cunningham MP, chair of the APPG on CCS, said: “The issue of protecting our planet is bigger than Brexit and should be beyond party politics. That’s why I’m delighted to launch this cross party inquiry on CCS to consider what government action is needed to support the deployment of this crucial technology in the early 2020s.”