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Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage

Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) refers to variety of techniques that captures and removes Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere. There are 3 stages to CCUS:

1. Capture from sources such as power stations, industrial sites or directly from the atmosphere
2. Transportation by pipelines or through shipping
3. Storage in underground geological formations or used to make products and materials

For further information, please visit the International Energy Agency and the UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre webpages.

SEPA's role

As Scotland’s environmental regulator, we are responsible for some of the primary environmental legislation that covers CCUS. We have statutory duties within the land use planning system and local air quality management systems. We work alongside other UK regulators and provide advice to the Scottish Government whilst striving to protect the environment and human health.

Regulatory requirements

The primary environmental legislation under which we will regulate carbon capture activities are:

• Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC): Operators capturing CO₂ for geological storage require a PPC permit under the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2012. Capture for utilisation may also be regulated if linked to a PPC listed activity.
• Water Environment (CAR): Activities that may impact the water environment require authorisation under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011.
• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA): SEPA is a statutory consultee for EIAs on major developments (pdf 278 kB), including those under the Electricity Act 1989.
• Air quality: We review local air quality management plans and assess emissions from regulated installations.
• Carbon capture readiness: We advise on whether proposed power stations meet Scottish Government guidance on space and feasibility for future carbon capture.
• UK Emissions Trading System (UK ETS): SEPA is the competent authority in Scotland, issuing permits and ensuring compliance. Captured and stored CO₂ is treated as ‘not emitted’ under the UK Emissions Trading System (UK ETS) scheme.
• COMAH regulations: Some CCUS sites may fall under the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations 2015. SEPA shares COMAH regulation responsibilities with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), depending on the site.

Operator responsibilities

Operators involved in CCUS activities in Scotland must:

• Obtain the correct authorisations under relevant regulations, including PPC for carbon capture and CAR for activities affecting the water environment.
• Appoint a competent person or team to manage compliance, particularly where new PAS 51215 standards are voluntarily adopted.
• Engage early in planning and EIA processes, especially for major infrastructure projects.
• Monitor and report emissions in line with UK ETS requirements, ensuring captured and stored CO₂ is properly accounted for.
• Maintain site safety and assess whether activities fall under COMAH regulations due to the presence of hazardous substances.
• Demonstrate carbon capture readiness for new power stations, including space and feasibility for retrofitting capture technology.

Operators are also expected to maintain accurate records, respond to SEPA consultations, and stay informed of evolving guidance and legislative updates.

Carbon capture installations in Scotland

The UK Government is supporting the implementation of several CCUS projects across the UK via a cluster sequencing approach. Most recently, two additional clusters have received support in the second wave of funding, one of which is in Scotland:

• The Acorn Project at St. Fergus in Aberdeenshire, aims to capture CO₂ from combustion plant in the St Fergus gas terminal and will build the transport and storage network to facilitate geological storage of the CO₂.
• Peterhead CCS Project at Peterhead gas-fired power station, in Aberdeenshire. The project aims to capture CO₂ from combustion of power station's fuel and send it for geological storage at the Acorn project's geological storage site.

Environmental impacts of amine-based post-combustion carbon capture technology

The proposed technology for both the Peterhead CCS Project and Acorn CCS project is an amine-based post-combustion carbon capture process. This technology is in use at the world’s first commercial scale CCS project at the Boundary Dam power station in Saskatchewan, Canada which began commissioning in October 2014.

The amine emissions from carbon capture systems (pdf 706 kB) paper reviews the emission of amines (and related amine reaction products) from post combustion carbon capture systems, their potential effects and considers the development of effective environmental standards.

The paper considers four main aspects:

• Emissions of amines and associated reaction products
• The potential impact of such emissions on the environment and on human health
• The extent of relevant environmental quality standards
• Issues associated with measurement of such compounds at low concentrations in emissions and in the environment

This document was originally prepared in the latter half of 2014 and developed through to the end of 2014. We are aware that further detailed technical information on emissions of amine compounds from carbon capture systems has been, or is now in the process of, being published.

The UK government published guidance - Post-combustion carbon dioxide capture: emerging techniques. This guidance for emerging techniques is not a regulatory requirement but identifies best practice to address important environmental issues.