Question reference: S6W-12890
- Date lodged: 8 December 2022
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Current status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 December 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on any new gas power stations with carbon capture and storage, in light of the reported concerns about the carbon capture and storage industry in The Carbon Capture Crux: Lessons Learned report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.
Answer
The Scottish Government supports the development of Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage as a decarbonisation infrastructure for hard to decarbonise sectors. Its deployment must enable decarbonisation at pace and cannot be used to justify unsustainable levels of fossil fuel extraction or impede Scotland’s just transition to net zero. Scottish planning policy states that the construction of new thermal generation power stations may be acceptable where that proposal includes or commits to carbon capture and storage. Any application made to the Scottish Ministers for the construction and operation of such power stations in Scotland is determined on a case-by-case basis, taking into account responses from key consultees and representations made by members of the public, and in light of careful consideration of the benefits and environmental impacts of the proposal.