Storegga, the company behind the Acorn CCS facility near Peterhead, has signed a “groundbreaking” collaboration deal with Aker Carbon Capture (OSLO: ACC).
The Memorandum of Understanding will see the pair work together on CCS projects at scale, helping industrial emitters gain access to “full value chain offerings” in the UK.
Storegga is the lead developer on Acorn project, the backbone of the Scottish Cluster which seeks to store emissions from sites like Ineos’ petrochemicals facility at Grangemouth.
Nick Cooper, CEO of Storegga, said: “Strong partnerships that weave together specialist skill sets and experience will be the key to unlocking the CCS market and getting projects at scale online in short order.
“This partnership will benefit from Aker Carbon Capture’s 20 years of experience in developing carbon capture technologies with best-in-class HSE characteristics and Storegga’s heritage in establishing CO2 transport and storage in the UK and abroad.”
New London office
The partnership comes a week after Aker was named the carbon capture provider for the SSE Thermal and Equinor’s Keadby 3 power station, the UK’s first to be equipped with CCS technology.
Oslo-listed Aker Carbon Capture said it is experiencing strong growth in the UK and is establishing a London office to support that.
The firm is currently working on front-end engineering design (FEED) for Keadby 3, and Net Zero Teesside run by BP.
UK head David Phillips said: “Recent success shows that Aker Carbon Capture is cementing its position in the UK CCUS market, which is why we have established an office in the heart of London.
“We’re excited to move into the premises of Sustainable Ventures, which supports and offers offices to strictly climate tech and sustainability-focused businesses. The time is now to start making a difference.”
The Scottish Cluster is a “reserve” under the UK Government Track 1 process, which is part of a £1bn funding competition to develop the first CCS clusters in the UK.
Industry is currently awaiting an announcement from government on “Track 2” which the Scottish partnership is expected to be successful in.
In the first phase of Acorn’s development, it is expected to create 21,000 roles directly and through supply chain.
For more on Storegga’s plans, see our full interview with Nick Cooper here.
