Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a developing technology which has the potential to contribute to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation and industrial activity and can include the following: - The capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at source from electricity generation or industrial activity.
- The transport of the captured CO2 either by pipeline (onshore and/or offshore) and/or by ship.
- The injection of the transported CO2 into a geological reservoir, such as a depleted gas or oil field, for permanent storage.
The National Energy and Climate Plan and the All of Government Plan on Climate Action (Climate Action Plan ) recognise the need to support further research into the feasibility of CCS deployment in Ireland.
Specifically, the Climate Action Plan (Action 33) mandates the establishment of a CCS Steering Group. This group was established by my Department in 2019, consisting of relevant Government Departments and agencies and is currently examining the development of CCS technologies internationally and monitoring the progress of CCS research (including for example Ervia’s ongoing CCS feasibility study).