The north Norfolk coast and Bacton could become a key player in carbon capture development, according to an energy industry trade body.

Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) said with 20 licences issued on May 18 for storing millions of tonnes of CO2 in rocks below the sea the UK could forge a role as a world leader in carbon storage.

OEUK chief executive David Whitehouse said with 13 areas off the UK’s coast earmarked for permanently storing millions of tonnes of CO2 - including off the Norfolk coast - the UK could pioneer the climate change-combating technology.

The North Sea Transition Authority announced licences covering 12,000 square kilometres at offshore sites which also include Aberdeen, Teesside and Liverpool as well as off Norfolk/Lincolnshire.

Eastern Daily Press:

Some could be up and running in as little as six years, said OEUK.

The UK's target of storing up to 30 million tonnes of CO2 a year by 2030 would cut the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions by up to 10%, it added.

The carbon capture process will involve the capture of CO2 emissions from industrial processes such as electricity generation or steel production - which typically use fuels like gas, oil or coal.  

The CO2 is captured, compressed into a liquid and injected into deep underground rocks – generally more than 800 metres deep.

Seabeds around the UK contain rock formations with the potential to hold up to 78 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide - equivalent to 200 years' worth of the UK’s emissions today – and one of the biggest storage capacities in Europe.

Up to 100 such CO2 stores could be needed to reach the UK's net zero target by 2050 - but the process could be be worth £100bn to the UK’s energy supply chain by 2050, OEUK estimated.

Mr Whitehouse, said: "Carbon capture will be a key tool in the global fight against climate change.

"These pioneering projects can create a wave of new jobs across the country, provide new opportunities for UK businesses at home and abroad, and maintain our world-leading action to reach net zero.

"The UK’s offshore oil and gas industry has the expertise needed to make carbon storage a success – and these licence awards can showcase our heritage of energy production skills to the world.

"If we get this right, it will not only help the decarbonisation of heavy industry, power generation and manufacturing globally but also create growth and export opportunity for industrial communities across the UK.

"But we will need 100 such sites or more, and the Track 1 and 2 clusters to be accelerated, if we are to reach net zero - so we mustn’t stop here.

"We look forward to the government’s continued support for Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) to make sure the UK secures a leadership position in this exciting new sector."