The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 2338 contributions
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 14 December 2021
Mark Ruskell
Thank you. Back to you, convener.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 14 December 2021
Mark Ruskell
That answer perhaps addresses the question about the 80 per cent of natural gas that will still need to be used within the gas grid for blending.
I invite Mr Dalhuijsen to comment, to give another perspective on things.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 14 December 2021
Mark Ruskell
Time is moving on. Mr Dalhuijsen, do you want to answer any of those points or speak about waste incinerators?
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 14 December 2021
Mark Ruskell
It helps a little bit.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 14 December 2021
Mark Ruskell
I have another follow-up question. The Government’s “Update to the Climate Change Plan 2018-2032: Securing a Green Recovery on a Path to Net Zero” discusses the deployment of CCS technology in respect of energy from waste incineration plants. There are numerous such plants in Scotland. Can you comment on the economics of retrofitting existing plants, and on whether CCS could be deployed effectively at that scale for future energy production from waste incineration plants?
I will go back to Professor Haszeldine on that question.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 14 December 2021
Mark Ruskell
I was just reflecting on the comments by Professor Haszeldine in the previous evidence session about the Government in effect requiring the oil and gas industry to store carbon emissions on a compulsory basis as a licence requirement, and I wonder whether Mike Tholen can give us the industry’s view on that. Specifically, given that there are 6.6 billion barrels of oil and gas in the North Sea, how much of that carbon can be captured and stored? On what timescale can that happen?
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 14 December 2021
Mark Ruskell
But how much of that carbon can be captured by 2030, given that the next eight years will be critical to climate change? Let us go back to the 6.6 billion figure. How much of that carbon can be captured through carbon capture and storage schemes and buried under the North Sea between now and 2030? What proportion of that—
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 14 December 2021
Mark Ruskell
I am sorry if I mischaracterised that. My question is, basically, who gets the hydrogen?
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 14 December 2021
Mark Ruskell
I have a quick question for Alan James. Last week, the UK Climate Change Committee said that there should be a cut-off point of 2023,
“beyond which efforts should be increased in other areas if commitments on CCS infrastructure ... are not secured.”
How confident is the industry that you will get that cast-iron guarantee by 2023 and that, as a result, we will not need a plan B?
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Meeting date: 14 December 2021
Mark Ruskell
I will ask specifically about blue hydrogen, because it seems that the Acorn project is economically dependent on its production. If we are putting 20 per cent of blue hydrogen into the gas grid, we might get a carbon saving on that, although the figures for blue hydrogen production are questionable. What about the 80 per cent? What about the natural gas that we will continue to be dependent on to run the particular type of national grid that is required for heating? Does that not build in dependence on unabated natural gas?