Responding to today’s announcement that the Scottish Cluster/Acorn Project and Viking have been chosen as the next CCS clusters to be developed in the UK, SSE’s chief executive Alistair Phillips-Davies said:

“Carbon capture will play a critical role not only in decarbonising the UK’s power system but also in unlocking economic growth and boosting our energy security, and today’s announcement marks a major step forward in its deployment. We know how important it is that the north-east of Scotland and Humber are decarbonised and the decision to support the Scottish Cluster and Viking shows that there is commitment to doing so.

“Time remains of the essence. Now, we must move quickly to deploy the transport and storage infrastructure which will underpin the rollout of CCS across the chosen clusters. Doing so will allow crucial low-carbon projects – such as our carbon capture project at Peterhead – to be brought forward, supporting the energy transition while providing good, green jobs and enhancing regional economies. The UK has a real opportunity to lead the world on carbon capture if we can accelerate progress and today’s announcement provides welcome impetus.”