The Scottish National Party (SNP) has criticised the UK Government for its decision to prioritise two carbon capture projects in England over a similar initiative in Scotland. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans for “carbon capture clusters” in Merseyside and Teesside, with a projected cost of nearly £22 billion over 25 years.
The Acorn carbon capture and storage project at St Fergus Gas Terminal in Scotland was once again overlooked for funding. Previously, it had been given reserve status after being bypassed in 2021 by the former UK government.
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn expressed his frustration, stating, “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,” speaking to Insider. Flynn further criticised the Labour government for following the Conservative path by prioritising projects in Northern England, leaving the Scottish cluster without certainty. He remarked, “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,” speaking to Insider.
Additionally, Flynn commented on Labour’s approach: “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,” speaking to Insider.
The Scottish Greens also weighed in on the issue, describing carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) as “a costly and unproven technology,” arguing it cannot replace increased investment in renewables.
Commenting on the announcement from the UK Government that it is to invest £22 billion in carbon capture projects whilst, once again, failing to invest in the Acorn Project at St Fergus, MP for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East Seamus Logan said: “The Acorn Project is an integral part of the energy transition in North-east Scotland and the radio silence from the UK Government is deeply concerning. If they are serious about protecting jobs, growing the economy, and improving energy security, they need to prioritise projects like Acorn that will actually enable delivery of those objectives. Successive Westminster governments have failed the North-east by failing to understand the strategic importance of this project to the wider energy sector.”
