The United Kingdom’s North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has launched the country’s first CO2 storage licensing round, with 13 areas available for bids along the Scottish and English eastern coasts, as well as the Irish Sea. These carbon storage areas are expected to contribute to the UK’s goal of storing 20 to 30 MtCO2 by 2030 and reaching net zero carbon by 2050. The NSTA plans for this round to be the first of many, as it estimates that up to 100 CO2 storage sites could be required in order to meet the country’s objectives. The application window will be open until 13 September 2022 and bidders will be evaluated on technical and financial criteria. New licenses will be awarded in early 2023 and first injection of CO2 is expected to come between 4 to 6 years after the award.
The NSTA is the licensing authority for the British oil, gas and carbon storage industries in the North Sea, and is committed to hold industries to account on halving upstream emissions by 2030.
In 2021, the UK’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions increased by 4.7% to 424.5 MtCO2eq, and CO2 emissions increased by 6.3% in 2021 to 341.5 MtCO2eq. Despite this annual rise, total GHG emissions were 5.2% lower than in 2019 and 47.3% lower than in 1990.
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