ABSTRACT
In this chapter we will assess the extent to which CCS may be implemented in the United Kingdom over the next few decades. The analysis draws upon the previous chapters, but also upon other published and grey literature. Potential deployment of CCS needs to be assessed in the context of the wider on-going changes in the energy system; these drivers (long-term target for a 60 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions, market liberalization and competition, technological innovation, price of CO2 on the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, volatile oil and gas prices and increasing global demand for fuels, etc.) will have a profound influence upon whether, and if so how, CCS is deployed in the UK and other countries. Much of this Chapter will consist of a sustainability appraisal of fossil CCS versus nuclear power. This is because the extent of CCS deployment in the UK will depend to a large extent on whether the base load is being met through nuclear power or fossil CCS, given that: a) renewables are, by themselves, probably insufficient to provide reliable power to 2050 and b) there may be insufficient funds to support major investment in both nuclear and fossil CCS.
