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Calls Grow to Cut UK’s £24bn Carbon Capture Plan

By Drooid · Oct 28, 2026, 10:51 UTC · How we work

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Summary

UK Chancellor John Healey faces calls to slash the £24 bn carbon capture and storage programme.
Environmentalist Chris Packham calls the £24 bn spend a national embarrassment and urges green funding.
Second-phase plan allocates £200 m to the Acorn project in Aberdeenshire and £80 m from Scotland.
Industry leaders warn pulling back now would undermine investor confidence and leave infrastructure underused.

History

After the 2005 IPCC report highlighted carbon capture and storage, the UK adopted a CCUS roadmap that pledged four industrial clusters and, in September 2024, announced £21.7 billion of subsidies for the HyNet and East Coast projects. This follows earlier European pilots such as Norway’s 1996 Sleipner injection, and the government’s new CCS plan revives the same funding debate.

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Historical Context

After the 2005 IPCC report highlighted carbon capture and storage, the UK adopted a CCUS roadmap that pledged four industrial clusters and, in September 2024, announced £21.7 billion of subsidies for the HyNet and East Coast projects. This follows earlier European pilots such as Norway’s 1996 Sleipner injection, and the government’s new CCS plan revives the same funding debate.

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