PORT WELCOMES APPROVAL FOR SCOTTISH CLUSTER - AT LAST

PPA chief executive Simon Brebner said it was fantastic news – and a relief – that the project could finally get started, more than 15 years after a decarbonisation scheme was first mooted in the region.

“We’re delighted that, finally, after many false dawns and a significant time delay, the Acorn project and the wider Scottish Cluster will now be able to get to work and help the country reach net zero,” Mr Brebner said.

“This is the opportunity for the North-east of Scotland – including the critical facilities at Peterhead Port – to lead the world in this new and innovative technology. Others have been catching up fast, but we have the skills, expertise and ingenuity to lead the field globally.”

Based at St Fergus, the Acorn CCUS scheme will be critical if the UK is to reach its net zero targets by 2050.

Part of a Scottish-wide cluster, the scheme would take industrial emissions from the Central Belt – and imported CO2 from the continent shipped into Peterhead – and pump it permanently into depleted reservoirs in the North Sea.

Approval for the scheme has been long overdue with the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, having pledged £20bn of support for CCUS over the next two decades as part of a “clean energy reset” in his spring budget this year.

The Acorn project has been described as “shovel ready” and was hopeful of getting approval from the Government in 2021 but, surprisingly, missed out to two unexpected projects in the North of England.

Mr Brebner added: “We have to put the frustrations of the last few years behind us and now ready to forge ahead with this amazing chance to help decarbonise the UK with the huge skills and number of quality jobs this will bring to the region.

“Peterhead Port is ready and willing to be a key player in this futuristic but critical programme to ensure we meet our net zero targets and embrace the energy transition. It is a great boost for the town and the region.”