UK Government urged to give clarity on Acorn Carbon Capture funding
SNP's Westminster leader is asking for clarity around timescales for funding of the North East project.
The SNP's Westminster leader is asking for clarity around timescales for the funding of a North East carbon capture project.
Stephen Flynn has written to Energy Secretary Ed Milliband claiming a lack of certainty on funding and licnensing is holding back the Acorn Carbon Capture project, based at St. Fergus in Aberdeenshire.
First Minister John Swinney visited the site on Monday to announce £2 million worth of funding for the project which will explore how a pipeline could transport Carbon Dioxide from Scotland’s central belt to the North East.
He said the UK Government must make "crucial decisions" about it.
Mr Flynn said: "With seven prime ministers having now come and gone, we frustratingly remain in a position where there is no certainty over the timeline for licensing, nor the delivery of funding, for this crucial project.
"This is clearly a matter of profound urgency and in both industry, and the Scottish Government, the new UK Government has partners who are desperate to see this project grow and deliver.
"Carbon capture is an essential component of our journey to both net zero and the creation of new high-skilled jobs - and I will continue to seek both clarity and certainty from the new Secretary of State as we seek to deliver on these shared ambitions."
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said carbon capture is key to the Government's plans to make the UK a "clean energy superpower" and £1 billion has been committed to its deployment.
A spokeswoman said: "We are taking immediate action to implement our plan for clean power by 2030, while continuing to develop cutting-edge technologies like carbon capture, usage and storage.
"This technology is vital to boost our energy independence and the Climate Change Committee describe it as a necessity, not an option, for reaching our climate goals.
"The initial cluster projects are nearing the first financial investment decisions this year, which are expected to create jobs and bring in billions of public and private investment into our industrial heartlands."
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