Scotland will host one of the UK’s two sites for the development of crucial carbon capture technology after the Westminster Government announced funding for ScottishPower to pursue work at its Longannet site.
E.O.N also won funding to pursue its work at Kingsnorth.
The funding will support Front End Engineering and Design studies, which will enable the bidders to further their designs for the projects at Kingsnorth and Longannet respectively. These studies involve detailed engineering and design work and will be completed within twelve months, after which the final competition winner will be selected.
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said:
“These two promising projects are at the forefront of the UK efforts to build one of the first commercial-scale clean coal plants in the world. The award of design-stage funding demonstrates our commitment to this breakthrough technology. It has the potential to support tens of thousands of jobs and bring billions into the economy.
“CCS is the only technology that tackles carbon emissions from fossil fuel power stations, and given the world’s dependence on coal, is a vital technology to securing the world’s future energy needs and tackling climate change.”
ScottishPower Chief Executive, Nick Horler said:
“We are delighted to have been selected for the next critical stage of the government’s competition. The real work of finally making CCS a commercial reality begins today as this funding will now enable ScottishPower to take the technology from concept to design stage. It will tell us exactly what we need to know so that we can quickly build this new and essential technology.
“It also puts the UK back at the head of the pack when it comes to delivering full-scale commercial CCS on a global stage.”
