Aker Solutions, Siemens and Doosan Babcock have formed a consortium targeting work on carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) projects in the UK.
The trio of energy services firms said their combined strength will offer “best in class capability, choice and local UK delivery”.
Several UK CCUS projects involving players including BP, Shell, Harbour Energy, Petrofac, Eni, Equinor, Neptune Energy and more are in the running for progression through the government’s upcoming “Track-1” cluster announcement, expected in October.
Aker Solutions, Siemens and Doosan Babcock employ more than 6,500 people across the UK, offering up UK-based engineering, fabrication and construction services, the trio said.
© Aker SolutionsThe consortium will work closely with Aker Carbon Capture, a Norway-headquartered firm which was previously a division of Aker Solutions.
Stephen Bull, executive vice president of renewables at Aker Solutions, said: “CCUS is integral to the UK’s net zero commitments, and the formation of this consortium further demonstrates our commitment to ensuring much needed technologies reach commercial scale.”
Aker Solutions has teamed up with both firms on renewables projects this year.
Part of the offering will be in combined cycle gas turbine engineering and design (CCGT) which Siemens specialises in.
Meanwhile Doosan Babcock brings a heritage in the construction, rehabilitation and retrofit of power plants, as well as experience in the refining, petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries.
Opportunities on the horizon
The UK Government’s 10 Point Plan outlined the ambition for two CCUS clusters to be deployed in the UK by the mid-2020s and a further two by 2030.
The government is expected to make announcements on Phase 1 of Track 1 from October 25 (Phase 2 relates to individual projects which will link into the clusters like industrial, power or hydrogen).
Successful clusters will be eligible to negotiate support from the Carbon Capture and Storage Infrastructure Fund and have access to business models to attract private sector funding.
Five schemes have applied to Phase 1 of Track 1:
- DelpHYnus, operated by Neptune Energy
- East Coast Cluster, which brings together the BP-led Net Zero Teesside and Equinor-led Zero Carbon Humber schemes and the Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP), which involves Eni, National Grid, Shell and TotalEnergies
- Eni’s Hynet scheme located on the north-west coast of England
- The NECCUS Scottish Cluster, which includes the Acorn scheme with backers Shell, ExxonMobil, Storegga, Harbour Energy, Macquarie, Ineos, Petrofac and Wood
- V Net Zero, led by Harbour Energy
On the new partnership, Siemens Energy vice president for UK and Ireland, Steve Scrimshaw, said: “The energy transition should be a just transition and the challenge of meeting net zero is one which will need all companies using their strengths to quickly bring forward new technologies and ideas. With this partnership we can do just that.”
Andrew Colquhoun, CEO of Doosan Babcock, added: “This consortium combines three companies with a rich UK heritage, that are committed to meeting the UK Government’s Net Zero aspirations.
“The planned investment in CCUS will result in significant investment into communities in Scotland, the North East of England and Wales. As a consortium with a large UK workforce we support the government’s aims for a green recovery and aim to ‘level up’ by safeguarding and creating many high-skilled jobs in these communities.”
