Greenhouse gas removal technologies
Status:Final report complete. Published:
A study examining how emerging greenhouse gas removal technologies can support the UK's climate ambitions.
In July 2019, the government passed legislation to introduce a more ambitious greenhouse gas emissions target, committing the UK to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Achieving this will require the deployment of new infrastructure, including technologies to take greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere and store them permanently underground.
The government asked the Commission to examine these greenhouse gas removal technologies and assess the role they could play in delivering negative emissions and the policies needed to incentivise their rollout.
On 25 November, the government published the terms of reference for the study. Alternative methods for removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, such as afforestation, peatland restoration or enhanced marine weathering, fell outside of scope.
The Commission’s research considered various direct air capture technologies and methods for bioenergy with carbon capture and storage. Operating in an open and transparent manner, the Commission engaged with policy-makers, academics, infrastructure providers and other relevant bodies in undertaking its research
The final report of the study – Engineered greenhouse gas removals – was published on 29 July 2021. It recommends that the government should commit to the wide-scale deployment of new greenhouse gas removal technologies by 2030 in order to be able to meet its net zero obligations.
Terms of Reference
On 25 November 2020, government published the terms of reference for the Greenhouse Gas Removals study.
Recommendations
The final report of this study made eight recommendations to government.
Commit to deploy a range of different engineered removals at scale no later than 2030
Government must make a clear commitment to deploy a range of different engineered removals at megatonne scale in the UK no later than 2030 and must publish a detailed plan to deliver this by the end of 2022. This should form the basis for an enduring policy regime which will maximise the likelihood of the UK playing a leading role in the development of engineered removals.
Maintain existing efforts to reduce emissions
Action on deploying engineered removals must not reduce effort from emissions reduction, which should be used to cut most of the country’s emissions. Government’s net zero strategy should set this out clearly.
Put in place independent monitoring of emissions removals
By 2024, and before any engineered removals are deployed at scale in the UK, government must put in a place an independent monitoring regime. This must:
- be robust, transparent and instil public and investor confidence
- ensure that any removals are genuine and verifiable, including putting in place a monitoring, reporting and verification regime
- account for the full lifecycle emissions of technologies, regardless of whether those emissions occurred inside or outside the UK
- be consistent with the principles to protect the natural environment set out in the Environment Bill.
Create a competitive market for engineered removals
A market for engineered removals, whereby government support can gradually fall away, should be created by obligating polluting sectors to offset their emissions. Obligations on polluting sectors should cover a growing proportion of emissions over time, reaching 100 per cent no later than 2050.
Support a portfolio of engineered removals technologies
Government should support a portfolio of engineered removals and deploy a range of first of a kind plants at scale no later than 2030. To support deployment, government should use a combination of:
- staged competitions, focused on pulling through early stage technologies to commercial readiness
- direct investment, with the option for the involvement of the UK Infrastructure Bank
- contracts for revenue with government using competitive auctions where possible, and consider the feasibility of linking the contracts to a market-based mechanism, such as the newly established UK Emission Trading Scheme.
Polluting sectors should pay for the removals they need to reach carbon targets
Government should aim to have polluting sectors pay for removals they need to reach carbon targets. Sectors that do not require removals to achieve net zero should not be obligated to pay for them. However, in some instances there may be adverse consequences that require intervention. To account for this, by 2024, government must:
- undertake and publish detailed analysis on the range of adverse distributional consequences that could occur from the proposed policy approach
- set out which sectors it is open to providing subsidy for removals to
- consider the risks of offshoring emitting activities to other countries, and how these can be mitigated.
Enable infrastructure to support deployment of engineered removals
Government and regulators, in particular Ofgem for electricity and Ofwat and the Environment Agency for water, must work with operators of infrastructure networks to ensure any demands from engineered removals are planned for from the late 2020s.
Ensure the necessary carbon transport and storage infrastructure is in place
Government must ensure that the required carbon transport and storage infrastructure is delivered and that additional demand from engineered removals deployment is accounted for in its plans. To do this government must:
- finalise its regulatory regime and policy frameworks for carbon transport and storage and facilitate deployment at scale over the 2020s
- consider how engineered removals in dispersed locations not near the UK’s industrial clusters, for example small energy from waste or biomass plants with carbon capture and storage, can be integrated into carbon transport and storage networks over the next decade
- ensure adequate carbon dioxide storage capacity is explored and characterised in time to deploy engineered removals.
Supporting evidence
The Engineered greenhouse gas removals report was informed by a range of evidence from commissioned external research and responses to a call for evidence.
This includes:
- Foresight Transitions – Greenhouse Gas Removal Technology Attributes
- Leeds University/Grantham Research Institute – Distributional Impacts Analysis of engineered Greenhouse Gas Removal Technologies in the UK
- Element Energy – Policy Mechanisms for Supporting the Deployment of Engineered Greenhouse Gas Removal Technologies
- Impact costing note
- Submissions to the call for evidence.
Engineered greenhouse gas removals
The final report of this study says the government must commit to the wide-scale deployment of new greenhouse gas removal technologies by 2030 in order to meet its climate change obligations.
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