The transition to net zero is the greatest challenge of modern times, facing not just one nation but the global community.
And not at any cost — the herculean task facing nations is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, while creating jobs and delivering a just transition for industrial communities. The good news is that the United Kingdom and Canada are both leaders in advancing solutions to cut carbon dioxide emissions, and are actively collaborating to reach our shared commitment of net-zero emissions.
When it comes to reducing CO2 emissions, the U.K. is at the forefront of the industrialized world. In 2019, the U.K. became the world’s first major economy to adopt a legally binding net-zero by 2050 target, and has been decarbonizing its economy faster than any other G7 country — cutting greenhouse gases more than 50 per cent since 1990, while the economy has seen robust growth over the same period.
While the geographies, economies and political landscapes are very different between G7 nations, the U.K.’s climate achievements provide a useful model for countries such as Canada that are still working toward absolute reductions in CO2 emissions while sustaining jobs and economic growth.
The next stage in developing a U.K. net-zero economy will require significant development of hydrogen energy systems, along with addressing the emissions from heavy industrial sources primarily through the use of carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) technology. The U.K. government is aiming to store 20 million to 30 million tonnes of CO2 by 2030 by developing CCUS clusters’ where power plants, cement factories, refineries and other industrial facilities will be able to capture CO2 emissions at source, and store them in deep geological storage sites.
Developing clusters such as this across the U.K. will support its industrial heartlands by protecting 77,000 and creating 70,000 high-skilled jobs, generating up to C$50 billion of inward investment by 2030, all while helping the U.K. reach net zero. But the prospect of bringing this CCUS economy to life is a daunting one, where valuable knowledge and decades of experience in Canada can help pave the way for a successful CCUS industry in the U.K.
Canada’s influence in the carbon capture and storage field exceeds its relative size, housing five of the world’s 41 commercial facilities and accounting for approximately 15 per cent of the world’s current capacity. CCS projects in Canada have securely stored more than 47 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, equivalent to taking more than 10 million cars off the road.
Canada’s projects include SaskPower’s Boundary Dam Unit 3 facility, the world’s first CCS facility on a commercial power plant, which has captured more than 5.5 million tonnes of CO2 since 2014. Similarly, the Quest facility, operated by Shell, has effectively sequestered more than seven million tonnes of CO2 from a refinery near Edmonton since 2015. Further along the CCS value chain, the Alberta energy sector’s extensive expertise in engineering capital-intensive projects, reservoir geology and pipeline development played a pivotal role in constructing the world’s largest-capacity CO2 pipeline, the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line.
As with any evolving technology, the rapid expansion of CCS is accompanied by uncertainties and unforeseen challenges. Applying the lessons learned from the first generation of projects — and looking to the clear regulatory frameworks for CCS established by provinces such as Alberta and Saskatchewan — is instrumental in mitigating risk, reducing costs and enhancing the safety and performance of the multitude of new projects planned worldwide.
By working together, we can achieve greater results in less time and see the development of net zero economies with CCS to lead us into the next chapter in the U.K. and Canada’s industrial futures.
Ruth Herbert is chief executive of the Carbon Capture and Storage Association, the U.K. and EU’s leading trade association advocating for the commercial deployment of CCUS.
James Fann is president and CEO of the Canadian-based International CCS Knowledge Centre.
Opinion: Canada-U.K. collaboration critical for climate action
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26.03.2024
The transition to net zero is the greatest challenge of modern times, facing not just one nation but the global community.
And not at any cost — the herculean task facing nations is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, while creating jobs and delivering a just transition for industrial communities. The good news is that the United Kingdom and Canada are both leaders in advancing solutions to cut carbon dioxide emissions, and are actively collaborating to reach our shared commitment of net-zero emissions.
When it comes to reducing CO2 emissions, the U.K. is at the forefront of the industrialized world. In 2019, the U.K. became the world’s first major economy to adopt a legally binding net-zero by 2050 target, and has been decarbonizing its economy faster than any other G7 country — cutting greenhouse gases more than 50 per cent since 1990, while the economy has seen robust growth over the same period.
While the geographies, economies and political landscapes are very different between G7 nations, the U.K.’s climate........
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