The UK CCS Research Centre (UKCCSRC) has today been awared £7.6 million funding to extend its work for a further five years.
The UKCCSRC has been awarded £6.1M by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to continue its work for the next five years, with an additional £1.5m coming from partner institutions.
Celia Yeung, of the EPSRC, said “The Research Councils UK (RCUK) Energy Programme recognises the significance of carbon capture and storage research within the energy landscape… The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council are fully supportive of carbon capture and storage research and has high hopes for the new Centre to continue developing and delivering an effective, high impact strategy for the UK.”
The centre’s stated mission is to ensure CCS technology “plays an effective role” in reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, supporting a competitive UK industrial sector and helping to provide access to affordable and secure electricity. Its research programme will include a network of more than 1000 individual researchers, a programme for researchers early in their career and core research work covering capture technology, CO2 storage, energy systems and policy and public engagement.
Stuart Haszeldine, Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage Director and deputy director for storage on the UKCCSRC management team, said: “This strategic research investment into the direct reduction of carbon emissions is welcome and essential. The continued support for the UK CCS Research Centre will boost efforts to improve geological carbon storage for the UK, where uniquely accessible natural assets are low in cost and high in reliability… Carbon management is an essential component of the sustainable energy transition, which cannot be achieved by renewables alone.”
The centre’s core activities are delivered by the British Geological Survey, the University of Cambridge, the University of Edinburgh, Imperial College London, the University of Nottingham, and the University of Sheffield. Other partner institutions include Cardiff University, Cranfield University, the University of Manchester, the University of Strathclyde and University College London.
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