This project, known as Scotland's Net Zero Infrastructure (SNZI) project, will focus on onshore elements of the Acorn CCS and low carbon hydrogen project at St Fergus in north east Scotland, and the Scottish Industrial Cluster. The project will fund important engineering studies which will develop the executable scopes of key components within the cluster, increasing investor confidence and providing the infrastructure to make a net zero industrial cluster in the UK a reality. It paves the way for over 10 million tonnes per annum of CO2 storage by 2030, growing to 20 million tonnes per annum by 2035, and unlocking access to over 20 gigatons of CO2 storage capacity. This world-class storage capacity provides a route for much of the UK's emissions to be safely stored in well-characterised storage sites offshore in the North Sea. This proposal seeks to develop the major onshore decarbonisation components of the Scottish industrial cluster, capturing CO2 in the Central Belt of Scotland, developing a pipeline infrastructure to transport the CO2 from the Central Belt north to St Fergus and offshore for long term storage. Other aspects of the proposal seek to: * Develop Britain's first low carbon blue hydrogen manufacturing facility, beginning the process of decarbonising the natural gas supply system * Develop a viable CO2 shipping infrastructure at Peterhead Port, enabling projects on Teesside, Humberside, in South Wales and in Europe to safely and economically send their CO2 to the Acorn store. The initial development of CCS and low carbon hydrogen production at the St Fergus gas terminal will store approx. 750,000 tonnes per annum of CO2 from late 2024, rising to 10 million tonnes per annum before 2030, and 20 million tonnes per annum by 2035. This represents 5% of all current UK emissions. The project provides a clear and tangible path to decarbonisation of the Scottish industrial cluster, including advancing SSE's low carbon thermal power generation at Peterhead Power Station as well as opening up opportunities to support other industrial clusters in the UK and abroad. The ability to support multiple clusters and locations with access to the world class offshore storage locations accessible from the Acorn infrastructure is of vital importance to the UK's net zero ambitions. In addition, there will be significant economic benefits to UK Plc as a result of this cluster progressing to be a major CO2 storage hub.

This project, known as Scotland's Net Zero Infrastructure (SNZI) project, will focus on developing the offshore Acorn Storage Site and associated offshore infrastructure. The project will fund important engineering studies to develop the key offshore components of the cluster, increasing investor confidence and providing the storage capacity to make a net zero industrial cluster in the UK a reality. It paves the way for over 6MT/yr of CO2 storage by 2030, growing to 20 MT/yr by 2035, and unlocking access to over 20 gigatons of CO2 storage capacity. This world-class storage capacity provides a route for much of the UK's emissions to be safely stored in well-characterised storage sites in the North Sea. This proposal seeks to develop the major offshore storage components of the Scottish industrial cluster, developing offshore pipeline, subsea and well-related infrastructure to transport and inject the CO2 offshore for long term secure storage. Other aspects of the proposal seek to: * Undertake the subsurface, wells and subsea work required to expand the initial Acorn storage site to increase CO2 injection capacity offshore, enabling the transportation and storage of up to 5 MT/yr CO2 from 2027 * Prepare for a significant extension to the Acorn store by evaluating the further storage sites, including assessing the subsea equipment and wells required to add a potential >600 million tonnes of storage capacity. The initial development of CCS and low carbon hydrogen production at the St Fergus gas terminal will store approx. 740,000 tonnes per annum of CO2 from late 2025. This programme will enable the total to rise to 6 MT/yr by 2027, to 10 MT/yr before 2030, and 20 MT/yr by 2035. This represents 5% of all current UK emissions. The SNZI onshore and offshore projects together provide a clear and tangible path to decarbonisation of the Scottish industrial cluster, as well as opening up opportunities to support other industrial clusters in the UK and abroad. The ability to support multiple clusters and locations with access to the world class offshore storage locations accessible from the Acorn infrastructure is of vital importance to the UK's net zero ambitions. In addition, there will be significant economic benefits to UK Plc as a result of this cluster progressing to be a major CO2 storage hub.

SNZR; Scotland's Net Zero Roadmap To achieve Net Zero by 2045 Scotland needs to decarbonise industry, transport, heat and power. Scotland's Net Zero Roadmap project (SNZR) will provide the roadmap to enable large-scale industrial CO2 emissions reduction in a way that focuses on ensuring the continued, but evolving, contribution of high-value industry and employment in a future Net Zero economy, and supports other UK regions to do likewise. Scotland emitted 41.6 million tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2018, of which 11.9 million tonnes were attributable to business and industrial processes. The top five emitting sectors in industry across Scotland are: Oil and Gas, Chemicals, Paper and Board, Cement and Glass and Environmental and Waste Services, as identified from sources above reporting thresholds. 74.2% of the greenhouse gases in 2018 were CO2, meaning that focusing on reducing CO2 emissions around the Forth (Lothian, Grangemouth, Fife) and St Fergus areas, which together account for over 9 million tonnes of CO2, provides a clear pathway towards Net Zero. Crucially, SNZR will provide the roadmap that enables the deployment of options in a way that ensures competitive decarbonisation through continued and growing prosperity across the economy. CCS is necessary, according to the Committee on Climate Change (2019), if we are to meet our net zero obligations. Capturing CO2 from industrial emissions and manufacturing hydrogen with CCS, provide two of the lowest cost and fastest means to decarbonise. These are options that offer opportunities for the continued but evolving role of our current energy supply industries, but which need to develop in a way that sustains the competitiveness of our high-value industries. Scotland is in a strong position to lead this new large scale CO2 management industry. Offshore Scotland has some of Europe's best-characterised and largest CO2 storage sites while CCS and hydrogen will create opportunities for jobs and economic activity and help transition staff employed in sectors such as oil and gas.

To achieve net zero by 2045, Scotland needs to decarbonise its industry, heat and power. Scotland's Net Zero Infrastructure (SNZI) provides the infrastructure backbone to enable large scale CO2 emissions reduction across Scotland in a way that focuses on ensuring the continued, but evolving, contribution of high-value industry and employment in a future net zero economy and supports other UK regions to do likewise. Scotland's Net Zero Infrastructure (SNZI) will deliver a material development of a range of core infrastructure to enable decarbonisation of the Scottish Cluster and will support decarbonisation of other UK and international industrial clusters. It links the gathering of CO2 from industrial emitters in Grangemouth and beyond, the Feeder 10 pipeline to transport CO2 to St Fergus and the Acorn CCS Project, which is anticipated to commence operations in 2024. In addition the project progresses ship transport infrastructure to enable CO2 transport by ship. It therefore provides the basis for infrastructure to link emitters across Scotland and around the North Sea basin with the offshore CO2 storage site.

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