Professor John Underhill, The University of Aberdeen's Director for Energy Transition, has welcomed today's publication of the 'Powering Up Britain' energy security plan by the UK Government.
The plan sets out how the UK Government intends to enhance UK energy security, containing a range of measures designed to deliver on net zero commitments and develop economic opportunities related to the energy transition.
Commenting in response to the publication, Professor Underhill said: “The announcement provides encouragement and more clarity about the process by which the two Track 2 CCUS cluster projects, Acorn and Viking CCS can progress.
“Moreover, the announcement made clear that the work undertaken to date means that both projects pre-qualify for the next stage, thus paving the way for financial support, something that has been eagerly anticipated but not been forthcoming until now.”
He added: "The wider package of measures in wind and nuclear energy, hydrogen and carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) that have been announced will collectively help accelerate the Energy Transition by providing green energy, reduce our industrial emissions, and help the UK meet its net zero targets.
"The measures will continue the build out of our renewable energy capability as we seek to reduce our reliance on, and to decarbonise, oil and gas production, which provides three-quarters of our current energy needs."