The UK government should reassess its decision to spend £22bn on “unproven” carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, MPs on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) have said.
Britons are currently facing some of the “highest energy bills in the world” alongside other cost of living challenges.
CCS, the capture and underground storage of carbon before it is released into the atmosphere, is viewed by the government as essential to its 2050 net zero goals. In particular, it is considered to be a useful tool for sectors such as shipping and aviation where reaching net zero is very challenging with current technology.
In December, two major carbon capture projects in Teesside were greenlit, with construction expected set to start in mid-2025.
But the PAC said there are no examples of CCS technology being deployed at scale in the UK so far. Furthermore, it said that CCS may not capture as much carbon as expected, with international examples showing that the government’s expectations for its performance...