Acorn: Developing full-chain industrial carbon capture and storage in a resource- and infrastructure-rich hydrocarbon province

Juan Alcalde, Niklas Heinemann, Leslie Mabon, Richard H. Worden, Heleen de Coninck, Hazel Robertson, Marko Maver, Saeed Ghanbari, Floris Swennenhuis, Indira Mann, Tiana Walker, Sam Gomersal, Clare E. Bond, Michael J. Allen, R. Stuart Haszeldine, Alan James, Eric J. Mackay, Peter A. Brownsort, Daniel R. Faulkner, Steve Murphy

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

69 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Research to date has identified cost and lack of support from stakeholders as two key barriers to the development of a carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) industry that is capable of effectively mitigating climate change. This paper responds to these challenges through systematic evaluation of the research and development process for the Acorn CCS project, a project designed to develop a scalable, full-chain CCS project on the north-east coast of the UK. Through assessment of Acorn's publicly-available outputs, we identify strategies which may help to enhance the viability of early-stage CCS projects. Initial capital costs can be minimised by infrastructure re-use, particularly pipelines, and by re-use of data describing the subsurface acquired during oil and gas exploration activity. Also, development of the project in separate stages of activity (e.g. different phases of infrastructure re-use and investment into new infrastructure) enables cost reduction for future build-out phases. Additionally, engagement of regional-level policy makers may help to build stakeholder support by situating CCS within regional decarbonisation narratives. We argue that these insights may be translated to general objectives for any CCS project sharing similar characteristics such as legacy infrastructure, industrial clusters and an involved stakeholder-base that is engaged with the fossil fuel industry.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)963-971
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Cleaner Production
Volume233
Early online date13 Jun 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2019

Keywords

  • Carbon capture and storage
  • Cost-reduction
  • Full-chain CCS
  • Infrastructure re-use
  • Just transition
  • Stakeholder engagement

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