ACT Acorn: a catalyst for low-cost, low-risk clean growth

This afternoon event will provide a forum for sharing findings from the ACT Acorn project, which will conclude in early 2019.

Over 19 months, scientists and industry experts from the Netherlands, Norway and the UK have been working closely to produce a compelling business and policy case to deliver a full-chain carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in north-east Scotland by 2023.

Their results provide a blueprint for the decarbonisation of regions across the UK, which are dependent on the fossil fuel industry and its products, and also show how Acorn can be expanded to provide a fully integrated CCS hub operating in the 2030s serving other European regions.

PROGRAMME

COUNCIL ROOM, SECOND FLOOR

1.30pm Registration, tea and coffee

14.00 Introducing the purpose of the ACT programme - Brian Allison, BEIS
14.05 Introduction to the ACT Acorn project and team - Steve Murphy, Pale Blue Dot Energy (PBDE)
14.15 The Acorn Options - Alan James, PBDE
14.30 Infrastructure Re-use and Decommissioning - Keith Whiriskey, The Bellona Foundation

14.45 Chaired Q&A with guest chair, Kirsty Blackman MP

15.05 Life Cycle Assessment - Steve Murphy, on behalf of Radboud University
15.20 CCS and a Just Transition - Leslie Mabon, Robert Gordon University
15.35 Unlocking CO2 Storage - Hazel Robertson, PBDE, and Richard Worden, University of Liverpool

16.00 Chaired Q&A with guest chair, Paul Booth, Tees Valley Unlimited

16.20 Keynote and wrap up by Chris Stark, CEO of the UK Committee on Climate Change

MANUFACTURING ROOM, FIRST FLOOR

Refreshments and networking, including opportunity to speak with researchers from each work area

ACT Acorn, which has been supported by the European Union, has:
• Considered how a project, such as Acorn, can support a just transition to a decarbonised future
• Rigorously assessed a shortlist of geological CO2 storage sites below the North Sea
• Explored options for re-using oil and gas assets, such as pipelines and platforms
• Considered a stepped approach to developing CCS in north-east Scotland to minimise cost
• Explored build-out options from St Fergus to create a national CCS network
• Outlined the potential for producing hydrogen from natural gas with CCS
• Provided valuable knowledge for similar developments in other North Sea regions

ACT Acorn has been funded by the Accelerating CCS technologies (ACT) co-fund of ERA-NET under the Horizon 2020 programme. Our project has received funding from BEIS (UK), RCN (Norway) and RVO (The Netherlands). ACT grant number: 691712