The UK Government has announced plans to invest £22billion in carbon capture projects in England - but has come under fire for making no mention of the Acorn project on the Buchan coast.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves, and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband are visiting the North West of England today to confirm the funding for two sites in Teesside and Merseyside, which are expected to bring in £8billion of private investment into these communities.
However, all the funding is being poured into 'Track 1' carbon capture projects, leaving those with 'Track 2' status - including Acorn - in limbo.
The funding being confirmed today will create 4,000 new jobs and help remove over 8.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year – the equivalent of taking around four million cars off the road.
The bulk of the funding is not new. Former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said he would back the sector with £20billion over 20 years. The new Labour government has added a £1.7billion uplift but over a longer timeframe.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “On Monday, 150 years of coal in this country came to an end. Today, a new era begins.
“By securing this investment, we pave the way for securing the clean energy revolution that will rebuild Britain’s industrial heartlands.
“I was proud to kickstart the industry in 2009, and I am even prouder today to turn it into reality. This funding is a testament to the power of an active Government working in partnership with businesses to deliver good jobs for our communities.”
The SNP’s leader at Westminster, Stephen Flynn, has criticised the government for making no mention of the Acorn Project.
“This really isn’t that hard - if you want economic growth, if you want to create jobs, if you want to develop a domestic supply chain, and if you want to hit Net Zero then you invest in the Acorn project," he said.
“For years we’ve been waiting for the Tories to back this project and despite offering ‘change’ the Labour Government have followed the same path by prioritising projects in the North of England, choosing not even to mention the Scottish cluster.
“We’ve seen with Grangemouth what happens when you don’t invest in the energy transition and, at this point, Labour look desperate to repeat those mistakes with their absurd tax changes and failure to invest in CCUS here in the North-east.
“We know that Ed Miliband and the Labour Party have lofty ambitions for Net Zero but their clumsy and clueless approach to the North East indicates that they have no idea how to actually deliver on their aims.”
A spokesman for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) insisted the funding in Merseyside and Teesside “is just the start”.
He added: “We will have more to say in in the coming months about the next steps for carbon capture in Humberside, Scotland and elsewhere around the country.”