UK CCS Strategy should include a demonstration of bioenergy with CCS technology to allow negative emissions to be delivered within the next decade
8 November 2016
- Bioenergy with CCS (BECCS) can deliver negative emissions (the net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere) whilst also producing energy in the form of electricity, heat, gaseous & liquid fuels
- There are no “show-stopping” technical barriers to BECCS – individual technologies, sectors and value chains have been substantially de-risked over the last five to 10 years
- The next steps are to demonstrate the components of BECCS together in combination at a UK plant
A new report from the ETI has highlighted the importance of combining bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) if the UK is to meet its 2050 greenhouse gas emission reduction targets cost-effectively.
“The Evidence for Deploying Bioenergy with CCS (BECCS) in the UK” report states that BECCS can deliver negative emissions (the net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere) whilst also producing energy in the form of electricity, heat, gas and liquid fuels.
The ETI believes that BECCS deployment is achievable by 2030 because all the major components of a BECCS system have now been demonstrated or ‘proven’ individually. A successful implementation could lead to up to 55m tonnes of CO2 emissions a year in the 2050s being removed from the atmosphere. This is equivalent to half the UK emissions target in 2050.
To become effective significant support is needed over the next five to 10 years to demonstrate a commercial deployment of BECCS technology and the wider biomass and CO2 storage supply chain in the UK. The ETI believes the government should ensure that their UK CCS Strategy encompasses the demonstration of BECCS technology to deliver negative emissions within the next decade.
The UK is well-placed to exploit the benefits of BECCS because it has vast storage opportunities offshore, experience in bioenergy deployment, and academic and industrial strength in both bioenergy and CCS. There are no “show-stopping” technical barriers to BECCS. The individual technologies, sectors and value chains have been substantially de-risked over the last 10 years so the next steps are to demonstrate all the components together in combination at a UK plant. This will prove the technology, feedstock supply and logistics, and overall commercial viability. For this to happen UK government support for BECCS is vital as the final decision on its implementation will be a political and financial one, not a technical one.
The ETI report highlights advances in the understanding of the costs, efficiencies and challenges of biomass-fed combustion systems with carbon capture together with evidence that numerous bioenergy value chains can deliver significant carbon savings, and sizeable negative emissions when including BECCS, based on certain feedstocks.
It also shows the potential availability and sustainability of feedstocks relevant to the UK and the identification and assessment of high capacity, low cost, low-risk stores for CO2 around the UK and the infrastructure required to connect to them.
This progress in the technical, environmental and financial evidence and understanding, together with the commercial demonstration steps being taken by others globally, should give the UK government confidence to commit to, and support the demonstration of this vital technology in the UK,
With the evidence and progress highlighted in this report, we would urge the government to ensure that the UK’s CCS Strategy encompasses the demonstration of BECCS technology to deliver negative emissions within the next decade.
All the BECCS jigsaw pieces are now clear and on the table. Others have started to put them in place internationally, and the UK should do the same.