Norwegian oil giant’s plan to capture UK’s carbon is fraught with risks

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🗞️ Driving the news: Equinor, a Norwegian oil giant, has ambitious plans for carbon capture projects in the UK, backed by recent multi-billion-pound pledges from the new Labour government
• The projects, including the £1.5 billion Net Zero Teesside Power plant, face scrutiny for their high technical and environmental risks, with critics doubting their net climate benefits

🔭 The context: Despite significant funding, carbon capture on a gas-fired power scale is largely untested and faces technological hurdles, exacerbated by high methane emissions from imported liquefied natural gas (LNG)
• Equinor’s past attempts with CCS technology have encountered setbacks, while UK gas imports – increasingly reliant on LNG – contribute to a larger carbon footprint

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Critics argue that these projects perpetuate fossil fuel dependence rather than advancing genuine decarbonization, potentially locking the UK into gas infrastructure and limiting investments in renewable solutions
• The environmental risk of methane leakage further undermines claims of a net zero pathway

⏭️ What's next: Equinor’s plans, alongside lobbying efforts for greater subsidies, have sparked debate over the future role of CCS and fossil fuels in the UK’s climate strategy
• Legal challenges and ongoing policy reviews will likely shape the sector's trajectory in the coming years

💬 One quote: “This is not a decarbonisation project, it’s a ‘recarbonisation project’,” cautioned environmental consultant Andrew Boswell

📈 One stat: Equinor’s Teesside plant is estimated to capture up to 2 million tonnes of CO₂ annually, only 0.5% of the UK’s annual emissions

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