The group working on a carbon capture and storage project at St Fergus has been given a share of £8million in funding from the UK Government.
Scotland’s Net Zero Roadmap (SNZR), led by Neccus, an alliance of industries and experts, will use its share of the funding to take forward its plans for ‘competitive decarbonisation’.
Neccus’s Acorn Project at St Fergus, near Peterhead, aims to deliver a carbon capture and storage programme for Scotland by 2024 and enable hydrogen to be used more widely.
The funding is part of the second phase of the UK Government’s Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge, which will commit £170million towards developing technologies such as carbon capture and hydrogen networks in major industrial areas.
Scottish Conservative MP for Banff and Buchan David Duguid said:
“This is very good news from the UK Government and will help to realise the ambition of initiatives such as the Acorn Project at St Fergus.
“If we are to meet our net zero targets, then we must decarbonise industry, transport, heat and power across Scotland. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects such as Acorn are a key part of that objective.
“I have long supported the development of CCS as a step towards meeting our commitments to reach net zero across the UK by 2050.
“Across Banff and Buchan, we have a range the kind of skills and expertise which have made the North East a centre of excellence for energy production and distribution from oil and gas.
“Those skills will be vital in the years to come as we embark on a transition of jobs as well as a transition in energy sources.”