Morning, Tuesday, 18th November 2025
Online
This conference will examine the future direction of carbon capture and storage policy in the UK - with a focus on delivery timelines, market models, and the role of CCUS in industrial decarbonisation, regional development, and long-term net zero strategy.
It will bring together key stakeholders and policymakers to discuss immediate priorities following the confirmation of Track-1 funding in the 2025 Spending Review, and ahead of key decisions on Track-2 cluster sequencing expected later this year.
Delegates will assess practicalities of delivering the next phase of CCUS - from ensuring regional fairness in the treatment of clusters such as Acorn and Viking, to tackling project delays and improving permitting, planning, transport infrastructure, and supply chain capacity. Further discussion is also expected on finalising business models under the Energy Act 2023, and how best to manage risk and secure investment for shared transport and storage infrastructure.
Sessions will explore implications of the UK Government’s longer-term aim to transition from subsidy-based CCUS support to a liberalised market, and the potential effects on investor confidence, industry participation, and regulatory systems.
Attendees will consider proposals for merchant market development, ETS alignment, and cross-border carbon trade - and how these relate to commercial viability, revenue risk, and the design of future contracts. Sessions will also examine emerging proposals for mandatory carbon storage requirements, including Carbon Takeback Obligations that could compel certain industries to store captured emissions.
We also expect a focus on how CCUS policy connects with the broader net zero strategy, including tensions over blue hydrogen, the role of carbon capture in the Industrial Strategy, and concerns raised around public trust and environmental litigation, as well as questions over the relationship between CCUS subsidies and fossil fuel industry interests.
Further discussion will consider options to improve system governance and oversight - including the role of the CCUS Council and devolved governments in shaping delivery frameworks - and longer-term considerations around MRV standards, licensing strategy, and the balance between offshore and onshore storage.
With the agenda currently in the drafting stage, overall areas for discussion include:
- cluster sequencing and funding:
- outcomes from the Spending Review - criteria used to prioritise Track-2 support - financial guarantee mechanisms for FIDs - implications for future public investment decisions
- investment models:
- National Wealth Fund equity stakes in CCUS clusters - blending public grants, guarantees, and equity investment - structuring public-private partnerships
- governance and coordination:
- priorities for the CCUS Council - regional and sector priorities - tensions between project pipelines and market timelines - fostering government-industry dialogue
- regulatory frameworks:
- secondary legislation under the Energy Act - alignment of business models, permitting rules, and emissions objectives
- potential mandatory storage frameworks including Carbon Takeback Obligations - providing clarity for investors and operators
- infrastructure delivery:
- readying transport and storage networks - progress with the CCS Network Code - coordination between infrastructure providers and regulators
- land use and planning:
- capacity of local authorities to assess and manage CCUS proposals - national guidance and integration into local plans - impact of planning frameworks on rollout
- supply chain and workforce:
- UK-based CCUS manufacturing and services - current and future role in meeting deployment needs - long-term opportunities for industrial capability development
- carbon markets:
- UK-EU ETS linkage, investor decisions and carbon pricing - rules governing emissions accounting and allowance eligibility - cross-border transport and recognition of storage
- sector deployment and policy coordination:
- expected use of CCUS in hydrogen, industry, and GGRs - industrial cluster prioritisation including cement, lime, and other carbon-intensive sectors - alignment with UK net zero targets and wider decarbonisation and energy system frameworks
