With the support of UK Research and Innovation’s Sciencewise programme, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) commissioned a public dialogue to better understand public attitudes towards the development of Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) technologies in the UK.

Developing CCUS is part of the UK Government’s strategy to deliver net zero emissions by 2050. The Government is aiming to deploy CCUS in at least two industrial clusters by the mid-2020s, and for two more clusters to be operational by 2030.

The dialogue took place between 1 October – 10 November 2020. It had originally been planned as a face-to-face exercise to take place earlier in the year, but due to COVID-19 restrictions it was agreed to carry the dialogue out online. Over 100 participants from five locations (and surrounding areas) across the UK took part. Four of these locations were chosen to engage with participants from areas that may implement a range of CCUS applications. The fifth location (Nottingham) was selected to provide insight into how people who do not live near a potential CCUS site view CCUS and its applications.

The dialogue found that participants generally supported the deployment of CCUS as part of a pathway to meeting net zero. This support was conditional on the technology being safe and an effective strategy in reducing CO₂ emissions.

The dialogue delivery contractor was Traverse and the evaluator was URSUS consulting.

The findings are proving a valuable resource for those responsible for producing and delivering CCUS policy.

For further details, see the public dialogue report.