The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has urged the Government to reevaluate its support for carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) in the UK, questioning whether such an investment is economically viable for both taxpayers and consumers amid soaring energy bills and the escalating cost-of-living crisis.
MPs have expressed concerns about using CCUS technology to capture emissions from bioenergy, targeting "negative" emissions to counterbalance other pollution with serious questions around the true sustainability and carbon savings of burning wood for power and capturing the carbon.
With the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's (DESNZ) failure to put in safeguards ensuring that taxpayers and consumers reap financial rewards from a successful CCUS programme, along with not examining the potential financial fallout for households, MPs expressed concern.
According to the report, the Government scaled back its ambitions for CCUS in 2024 from the initial targets of capturing 20 to 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually by 2030, casting doubt on how it will fulfil emissions reduction commitments.
MPs warn of high risk £22bn government investment in 'unproven' carbon capture technology MPs have sounded the alarm over the Government's £22bn investment on "unproven" carbon-capture technology, flagging it as a high-risk venture.
