It is often recognised that the UK benefits from positive technical advantages that could assist in the development and deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, yet policy efforts to secure demonstration projects have faltered over recent years. This commentary article draws on practical experience of cross-sectoral cooperation to explore how different stakeholder interests have aligned in support of CCS, strengthening the case for UK action. A framework for considering stakeholder interests is set out, and informs an analysis of successive waves of government policy making. Implications for forthcoming policy developments are thereby identified.
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References
1.
‘Accelerating the deployment of carbon abatement technologies with special focus on carbon capture and storage’, Advisory document from ACCAT, Executive Summary, BERR, February 2009.
2.
The EU-China NZEC agreement was signed at the EU-China Summit under the UK's presidency of the EU in September 2005as part of the EU-China Partnership on Climate Change. The agreement has the objective of demonstrating advanced, near zero emissions coal technology through carbon capture and storage (CCS) in China and the EU by 2020. The UK-China bilateral NZEC initiative was developed in support of this wider agreement. http://www.nzec.info/en/what-is-nzec/.
See Chapter 5 of ‘Building a low-carbon economy - The UK's contribution to tackling climate change’, The first report of the Committee on Climate Change, December 2008, www.theccc.org.uk/pdf/7980-TSO%20Book%20Chap%205.pdf.
The author remembers participating in stakeholder discussions as to the remit and functions of the proposed new OCCS, with government officials suggesting that the office should continue an existing focus on ‘cleaner fossil fuels’ rather than solely on CCS. Industry and civil society participants unanimously disagreed.
The announcement on 17th March 2012 in respect to how the EPS would be configured to exclude new investments in gas power plant demonstrates the continued influence of counter-productive short term energy security arguments within government. See http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/pn12_025/pn12_025.aspx.
