THE leading representative body for the UK’s offshore oil and gas industry has championed its skills and capabilities in response to a highly anticipated report from the UK Government outlining its plans to support carbon capture usage and storage.

UK Energy Minister Claire Perry has published an action plan to deliver the UK’s first carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) project by the mid-2020s. The plan, outlined at a global summit in Edinburgh, highlights the critical role of the sector in enabling CCUS tech to be deployed at scale by the 2030s.

It includes ambitions to work with industry and other bodies to identify existing oil and gas infrastructure which could be re-used to support the development of CCUS in the UK.

Oil & Gas UK chief executive Deirdre Michie commented: “The UK’s offshore oil and gas industry stands ready to support the development of carbon capture, usage and storage. Our supply chain is uniquely positioned to deliver cost effective, competently engineered solutions for CCUS.

“As the UK Government’s plan notes, our world-leading sector enjoys a highly skilled and experienced workforce, established infrastructure and existing support for the work of the task force. Coupled with our ambition to meet more of the UK’s energy demands from indigenous resources over the longer term, outlined in Vision 2035, we recognise the important role we have to play in moves towards a lower carbon economy.”