The Crown Estate and Crown Estate Scotland have started the first round of formal engagement with developers on carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS). The two organisations have issued a joint survey to industry stakeholders to explore and understand market requirements for future seabed and subsurface carbon store development.

The survey will seek input on two key topics: the number of stores, capacity levels, and annual injection rates that developers might seek to be in place by 2035 and by 2050, and the opportunities and challenges to meeting these aims.

As the UK’s potential future carbon stores are located across the geographical remits of The Crown Estate and Crown Estate Scotland, this joint exercise is designed to help reduce the number of market engagement responses for developers and drive momentum toward setting leasing round requirements. Feedback will be shared with the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), which is responsible for carbon capture licensing, and The Crown Estate and Crown Estate Scotland will publish an anonymised summary of the main findings.

Nicola Clay, head of The Crown Estate New Ventures for Marine, said: “The UK is at a critical juncture for CCUS development, and we must continue momentum toward our goals for 2030. I am delighted that The Crown Estate and Crown Estate Scotland are undertaking this engagement and accelerating our work in this vital area.”

Both organisations are working to understand market expectations on CO2 storage, and to support delivery of the Sixth Carbon Budget (CB6) and the Government’s target to have four active stores in UK waters by 2030. This work will ensure that carbon stores are identified and assessed for effectiveness, in order to derive maximum benefit from the resources the seabed provides. It will also ensure that the CCUS industry is developed in conjunction with the needs of all marine users and in a way that supports the health and biodiversity of the natural environment.

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