A Scottish designed blueprint to help governments implement carbon capture and storage (CCS) project applications smoothly has been launched.
A new 'Are You Ready' toolkit has been designed to make it easy for nations and regions to test their legislation, regulatory and public engagement systems in advance of receiving applications for CCS projects.
The test toolkit, produced by the Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage Centre on behalf of the Scottish Government, provides a low-cost, low-risk approach to a regulatory test exercise. It was commissioned and sponsored by the Global CCS Institute which works with projects and governments on sharing knowledge to help accelerate the commercial deployment of CCS.
The Institute will promote the toolkit around the world and it is already attracting interest from Canada, Australia and several EU nations.
The move is a vote of confidence in Scotland's forward thinking approach in preparing for carbon capture and storage projects, which is recognised as a key technology in cutting emissions from fossil fuel power stations.
Energy Minister Jim Mather said: "Scotland is leading global efforts to develop CCS, with the largest offshore storage capacity in Europe in the North Sea and the UK's leading candidate for a CCS demonstration project at Longannet, in Fife.
"The Scottish Government used a mock CCS project to test our own regulations and identify any streamlining opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. It is therefore appropriate that we have taken the lead in sharing this experience with other nations and regions.
"This blueprint will now be rolled out across the globe to equip governments, regulators and developers with the knowledge they need to be confident that CCS applications are processed efficiently and in accordance with the relevant planning and environmental obligations."
Bob Pegler, Global CCS Institute General Manager - Europe, said: "This marks a significant step in our efforts to share knowledge and best practice globally, so that we can help accelerate CCS demonstration. The toolkit is a very practical, much needed tool for governments implementing CCS. It is an example of the kind of practical tools and solutions the Institute provides for the CCS community."
The Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage Centre, working with the Scottish European Green Energy Centre, has produced the toolkit
The Global CCS Institute has supported the toolkit with £50,000 funding.
The Scottish Government hosted a Carbon Capture, Transport and Storage Regulatory Test Exercise which brought together over 70 participants representing regulatory agencies, developers, public interest groups, and other observers to go through a 'dry-run' regulatory simulation of a hypothetical CCS project in Scotland.
Jordan Sim, Australia around 1 year, 3 months ago