Fergus Ewing, Scottish Energy Minister, is due to give the keynote speech at the SCCS annual conference today (29 October).
It is being held in Edinburgh and focuses on the North Sea and its assets as a ‘catalyst for creating a CCS industry that could store hundreds of years’ worth of CO₂ emissions from Europe’s power and industry sectors.’
Meanwhile, the largest carbon capture and storage (CCS) research partnership in the UK has grown even larger with the addition of Strathclyde University as a new member, joining fellow researchers from the British Geological Survey, Heriot-Watt University and Aberdeen and Edinburgh universities.
Research collaborations are already under way between academics from Strathclyde and other SCCS partner institutes. It is hoped this closer working relationship will lead to further joint research, which will support the commercialisation of the climate change technology worldwide.
Dr Julia Race, Senior Lecturer in Pipeline and Subsea Engineering at Strathclyde – who will represent the university on the SCCS board – said: “We are very pleased to bring our own cutting-edge research expertise to the SCCS partnership, and look forward to developing further collaborations with other partner institutes.
“Carbon capture technologies offer a viable and cost-effective route to tackling carbon emissions from large emitters, such as power plants and industry. By helping to expand this centre of CCS excellence in Scotland, we can support its development and commercialisation worldwide.”
Prof Stuart Haszeldine, SCCS Director, said: “Strathclyde brings further world-class expertise to our research portfolio, particularly in the fields of CO₂ transport and environmental impact of CO₂ storage.
“As full-chain CCS projects start to make real progress, in North America and elsewhere, we look forward to building the collaborations that support these ambitions.”