The UK Government is being urged to reverse a decision not to invest in a “necessary” climate change project in the north-east.
Earlier this month the UK Government rejected a funding bid for the Acorn project near Peterhead, which aims to capture and store carbon dioxide underground to stop them entering the atmosphere.
Scottish politicians say this project is vital if the north-east is to move away from a reliance on oil and gas towards renewable energy, but Acorn will now only be a “reserve” site after the UK Government decided to fund similar schemes in Humberside and Wales instead.
Now Michael Matheson, Scottish cabinet secretary for net zero, says this is a “serious mistake” that must be overturned if the UK is to meet its climate change targets.
North-east ‘obvious’ place for investment
Speaking at Holyrood Gillian Martin, MSP for Aberdeenshire East, said the north-east of Scotland was the “obvious” location for such a project.
She added: “The UK Government’s decision not to invest in Acorn is a devastating blow to the economy of the north-east.
“They need to urgently reconsider their nonsensical decision on Acorn, and MSPs and our MP colleagues, regardless of their party, need to demand that happens.”
Her comments come only days before Glasgow is due to host the UN climate change conference, COP26 this weekend.
‘Serious mistake’ needs to be reversed
Mr Matheson also says there is “no realistic route” to zero carbon emissions if this project does not go ahead.
He said: “This project is a necessity, not an option.
“That is why the UK Government’s decision is so astonishing and it shows a lack of ambition and commitment to tackling climate change.
Net Zero Secretary @MathesonMichael has spoken to @ScotParl following the UK Government’s decision not to back Scotland’s Carbon Capture and Storage Project – the Acorn Cluster.
Read more ➡️https://t.co/i7o3hIDnIG pic.twitter.com/SOg8Eel2NC
— Net Zero Scotland (@ScotGovNetZero) October 26, 2021
“This decision is a serious mistake and it needs to be reversed.
“The UK Government has leaned on the natural resources of the north-east of Scotland for many decades and it is only right to provide financial support for this.”
A spokesperson for the UK Government said: “We are committed to making the UK a world-leader in green technology, including carbon capture.
“The Acorn project has already been allocated over £40 million in development funding by the UK Government in recent years, and we want to make sure the cluster can get maximum value from this support going forward.
“The strong potential of the Acorn project has been confirmed by the bidding process – which is just the start.
“This is good news for the future competitiveness of Scotland’s industry, and we are confident the Scottish cluster will continue to develop and compete for the next round of funding.”
David Duguid, Conservative MP for Banff and Buchan, added: “The UK Government has already spent £31 million on the Scottish cluster, and CCUS [carbon capture, utilisation and storage] is a major part of the North Sea transition deal worth £16 billion for the energy sector.
“Although disappointing that the Scottish cluster did not meet the requirements to make the first cut in the UK’s CCUS sequencing round, the high quality of the bid means that the Acorn project has been selected as a first reserve cluster.
“The UK Government is engaging with the Acorn project team on this basis to determine what is needed to continue development and planner.
“The SNP are wrong to suggest that this is the end of the story – for those involved in CCUS, industry experts and the UK Government, it certainly is not.
“This carefully rehearsed exchange between two SNP politicians betrays their real attitude to the Scottish cluster.
“We must remember that it is the UK Government forging ahead with these actions to meet our net zero carbon obligations.
“The SNP’s Green partners in government are against carbon capture entirely and would end it now if they could.”