The government’s reliance on carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is “outdated and unrealistic” and could leave the UK reliant on fossil fuels when better technologies are available, financial think tank Carbon Tracker has said.

In December, the UK unveiled a plan to make the CCS sector a competitive market by 2035, with domestic firms selling their carbon capture services to global firms. This strategy was based on the recommendations of the Climate Change Committee, published in the Sixth Carbon Budget in December 2020.

However, since then, cost estimates for deploying the technology have more than doubled, leading to a shift in focus to reduce emissions at source rather than abate them once emitted. The rapid growth of renewables and battery storage has also lowered estimates of the need for gas plants with CCS.

Carbon Tracker warned that the UK is targeting applications where CCS could lock consumers into a high-cost and fossil-fuel-based future. It advised the government to...