First Minister will visit the site of an
innovative carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility in
Aberdeenshire where he will unveil new Scottish Government
funding for the project.
The Acorn project, based in St Fergus, would take captured CO2
emissions from industrial processes across the country and store
it safely under the North Sea.
The First Minister will meet representatives of the project and
undertake a short tour of the site, before meeting staff and
apprentices.
While in Aberdeenshire the First Minister will also meet business
leaders and members of the Scottish seafood sector at a
roundtable discussion in Peterhead.
Speaking ahead of his visit to the North East, the First Minister
said:
“Carbon capture and storage will play a huge role in Scotland's
net zero future. The Scottish Government is wholly committed to
supporting the Acorn Project, which will take advantage of our
access to vast CO2 storage potential and our opportunities to
repurpose existing oil and gas infrastructure.
“Scotland's energy transition presents one of the greatest
economic and social opportunities of our time. This landmark
project will help to support a just transition for oil and gas
workers in the North East and across the country, by drawing upon
their world-leading skills and expertise to create many good,
green jobs in the coming years.
“The North East is also a powerhouse of Scotland's word-class
seafood processing sector, which contributes massively to our
economy. According to recent figures the region alone is home to
more than 3,379 full time equivalent jobs. The Scottish
Government will continue to engage and work closely with the
sector, and communities, to ensure that Scotland's fishing
industry, the wider seafood sector, and our marine environment
can thrive sustainably.”
Background
The Scottish Cluster brings together Acorn, National Gas's SCO₂T
Connect Project - a pipeline scheme which links the Central
Belt with North East Scotland - and a variety of industrial,
power, hydrogen, bioenergy and waste-to-energy
businesses: About Acorn | A Joint
Decarbonisation Venture - The Acorn Project
