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CCS technology gains momentum

Carbon, capture and storage technology is finally gaining momentum, in
large part thanks to countries committing to tougher emissions targets

COMMENTARY CARBON, capture and storage (CCS) has been CO2 that is produced when natural gas is con-
touted as the best means of decarbonising large verted into hydrogen via methane reforming.
swathes of heavy industry that cannot easily This low-carbon, so-called blue hydrogen can
WHAT: be made clean using renewable energy alone. also play a part in decarbonising certain sectors,
CCS appears to be finally The technology’s potential has been discussed such as energy-intensive industries and mari-
taking flight, with the IEA for years but now appears to be finally gaining time and other areas of transport.
estimating that projects momentum, in large part thanks to countries The consensus among scientists and investors
worth $27bn worldwide committing to tougher targets for reducing their is that large-scale deployment of CCS is possible,
are close to reaching a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Interna- but will require significant state support. Gov-
final investment decision. tional Energy Agency (IEA) estimated in Sep- ernments are currently looking to finance the
tember that CCS projects worth $27bn are close technology on a project-by-project basis, but
WHY: to reaching a final investment decision (FID). broader incentives, including a high enough tax
The technology can help The IEA concludes that it will be “virtually on CO2, will be needed for the sector to live up
decarbonise industries impossible” for the world to meet targets for to its potential. In this special feature, we take a
that cannot easily be reducing GHG emissions without deploying look at some of the countries at the forefront of
made clean otherwise, CCS on a significant scale. Certain industries, CCS development.
and is used to produce such as steelmakers and cement factories, have
low-carbon blue few other feasible options for decarbonising Europe
hydrogen. their operations, the Paris-based agency argues. Europe has been researching and trialling CCS
But CCS still has a long way to go before it can for decades, but the sector is now reaching a tip-
WHAT NEXT: make a meaningful dent in emissions. The IEA ping point, with a number of major projects now
Projects currently secure estimates that for the world to reach net zero by working towards FIDs. Many of the schemes are
government financing on 2070, then the volume of CO2 captured would situated in North-west Europe, where offshore
a case-by-case basis, have to grow twentyfold in just a decade. reservoirs can be used for storage.
but broader incentives, The technology is also of growing interest to There are currently only two CCS projects
including a high enough oil and gas companies, eager to decarbonise as in operation in Europe, at Norway’s offshore
tax on CO2, will be much of their activities as they can to demon- Sleipner and Snohvit fields, with a combined
needed for the sector to strate their commitment to the energy transi- storage capacity of 1.5mn tonnes per year (tpy).
realise its potential. tion. CCS also serves a vital role in capturing the But here the technology is used only to capture

Image: SCCS

P4 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 46 19•November•2020