Carbon Capture and Storage: Environment Protection and Safety
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the long-term (a) safety and (b) environmental impact of carbon capture facilities.
Answered by Sarah Jones
Carbon capture and the transport and storage of CO2 are safe technologies underpinned by strong regulatory frameworks to mitigate potential risks associated with those activities.
There are several regulators in the UK in place to protect human health and the environment, including: Environment Agency (EA) Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED), Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Natural Resources Wales and SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency)
Additionally, the storage permit, regulated by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), for a storage site will only be issued when the NSTA are confident that there will be no significant risk of leakage or of harm to the environment and human health from the CO2 storage.
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