Carbon Capture Scotland (CCS), a Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) project specialist announced this week the launch of Project Nexus, a carbon removal initiative which plans to remove 1,000,000 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere per year, and to generate up to 500 jobs in rural Scotland, by 2030.
Joined by Cabinet Secretary Michael Matheson MSP, brothers Richard and Ed Nimmons stated their focus on capturing biogenic CO2 emissions – CO2 that is produced via organic processes such as whisky fermentation, anaerobic digestion and biomass incineration – and transporting to sequestration sites where the CO2 is permanently removed.
The £120m investment will consist of a series of infrastructure and supply chain projects that allow for a sustainable and commercial means of carbon dioxide removal, starting in 2023 with projects in Central and Northern Scotland.
CCS have piloted a variety of CO2 capturing and processing technologies at their current headquarters in Dumfries & Galloway, where they currently capture and/or recycle over 10,000t CO2 per year for utilisation to make dry ice. Constructed in 2021, this £4m project was a world first and has been a key component in maintaining dry ice supplies during the recent COVID vaccination rollout and CO2 shortages.
The Nimmons brothers jointly commented:
“We all need carbon capture and removal to be achieved at scale. At CCS we focus on simple, practical means of capturing, processing, transporting and removing CO2 and we look forward to leading the global path to net zero. Removing 1,000,000 tons of CO2 per year is the equivalent of decarbonising the gas and electricity of over 175,000 average UK homes. Project Nexus will achieve that, and we can start right now.”
Net Zero & Energy Secretary Michael Matheson said:
“CCUS will be a vital part of our net zero energy transition. Indeed, advice from the Climate Change Committee describes it as a “necessity, not an option” to achieve net zero emissions.
“The Scottish Government is fully supportive of the technology and has made £80 million available to its continued growth and development – together with a dedicated £5 million fund to support carbon utilisation.
“Carbon Capture Scotland has been at the forefront of making CCUS technology a reality in Scotland, and I welcome its ambitious plans to scale-up its carbon capture operations, opening up further economic opportunities and green jobs for the region and across Scotland.”
Professor Russel Griggs, Chair of South of Scotland Enterprise, said:
“Richard and Ed Nimmons have created a distinctive business in Carbon Capture Scotland near Crocketford. Project Nexus will be game-changing not just for Carbon Capture Scotland, but for businesses in the South and other rural areas of Scotland wishing to capture the C02 emissions from their processes.
“This project once again highlights the entrepreneurial talent we have in the South of Scotland, as well as the significant economic opportunities which our journey to Net Zero presents us with.”
