Ahead of the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference, COP26, it has been announced this week that the UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre (UKCCSRC), led by the University of Sheffield, has received a new programme of funding to continue its work until September 2025.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) will play a significant role in mitigating carbon emissions and achieving the UK’s ambitious ‘net zero by 2050’ target. The UK is seeing an unprecedented rise in CCS activity, with the levels of CO2 being captured and stored projected to rise from zero currently, to 10 million tonnes per year by 2030 and potentially 100 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2050.
The new UKCCSRC Network + programme, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), will aim to increase the UK carbon capture research base to include a wider range of scientific disciplines, and will play a key part in building new high-tech CCS industries.
Intending to help the UK gain full value from its position in the CCS community, the Network+ programme will support the rapid growth of CCS deployment in the UK, develop new science to underpin future improvements and cost reductions, grow the infrastructure to meet the expansion required in CCS to 2050 and beyond, and deliver fast-track research projects. It will also encourage collaboration between academic researchers and industry.
The new grant brings in new Co-Investigators, including Dr Kyra Sedransk-Campbell from our Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, as Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champion.
Dr Lucy Martin, EPSRC Deputy Director for Cross-Council Programmes, said: “Carbon capture and storage was identified as a pre-requisite for achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions in the UK by the Committee for Climate Change Net Zero report. It will enable us to capture, store and utilise greenhouse emissions from essential processes that cannot be decarbonised and potentially save the UK tens of billions of pounds over the next two decades.”
Jeremy Carey, UKCCSRC Board Chair said: “The UKCCSRC Network+ will build on its existing networks to create a diverse and vibrant ecosystem of CCS stakeholders. Enabling people to connect, exchange ideas and share successes will help accelerate CCS toward commercial deployment as a key pillar of the UK’s net-zero trajectory.”
The UKCCSRC is funded by the EPSRC as part of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Energy Programme and led by the University of Sheffield in partnership with ten other UK academic partner institutions.