What is the role of the Welsh Government's carbon capture and storage policy in supporting energy from waste facilities?
Welsh Government recognises both the importance of carbon capture and storage (CCS) to reaching net-zero, and also the significant economic opportunities the technology can deliver for industry, business and citizens in Wales. We see a role for the targeted implementation of CCS infrastructure where it makes a clear and sustained contribution to decarbonisation and the economy, thereby making the best use of CCS technology and available infrastructure.
Our recently published CCS policy makes clear the avoidance of emissions should be prioritised. The policy also recognises that for some sectors such as energy from waste, avoiding emissions is not always technically or economically viable. CCS is currently the only viable technology to significantly cut emissions at energy from waste sites, and in such cases, emissions should be captured to the greatest extent possible.
I was pleased to learn that the Department for Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has concluded its assessment of applications relating to the expansion of the Hynet carbon capture, utilisation and storage cluster, and that the Enfinium Parc Adfer energy from waste project has been taken forward into the negotiation phase.