In ALIGN-CCUS, I am leading Work Package 1, Enabling near-term deployment of integrated facilities and cluster development. The capture part of the whole CCUS chain is the most cost-intensive part and so major research and development efforts over the last 20 years have been put on cost reduction. However, as larger demonstration projects have emerged recently, operational issues and concerns are also being addressed. Specifically, this concerns environmental benign and flexible operation - especially amine-based absorption systems, which represent the most mature technology for CO₂ capture but may imply some environmental challenges.

My main role in ALIGN-CCUS is leader for Work Package 2, on removing technical barriers to large-scale CO₂ transport. I am also involved in WP5, Targeted CCUS activities in industrial clusters: task 5.4 on the Grenland Cluster in Norway. To date, carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) has not reached a level of implementation, which reflects the urgency we face when it comes to fighting climate change. Lack of action is often a consequence of uncertainty regarding cost for key elements in the CCUS chain, and thus a reluctance to invest in necessary infrastructure.

I’m a geologist and in ALIGN-CCUS I lead work package 3 (WP3), Large-scale storage networks, and contribute to the UK case study to accelerate the implementation of CCS for low-carbon growth for UK industry. I have worked on the appraisal of geological formations deep beneath the North Sea to assess their capacity to permanently store captured CO₂ for ten years. From my work, I know that the UK has an extensive and enviable potential CO₂ storage resource, well known from hydrocarbon exploration and production, which could securely contain and so reduce the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions.

In ALIGN-CCUS, I am leading Work Package 4, which covers carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) as an element for large-scale energy storage and conversion. My main focus in the last decade has been on emission reduction by enhancing the efficiency of power plants, large-scale energy storage systems and, especially, the demonstration of post-combustion capture. I am confident that climate protection goals can only be achieved by a strong contribution from CCUS and its application in all economic sectors.

In ALIGN-CCUS, I’m leader for Work Package 5 (WP5), Targeted CCUS activities in industrial clusters, and oversee the project’s dissemination activities in Work Package 0. In recent years, I’ve focused quite considerably on the application of CCUS in industrial applications, and particularly on the potential benefits of “clustering” multiple CO₂ capture projects to take advantage of economies of scale. From a personal point of view, I believe that CCUS is the only near-term solution for achieving significant reductions in CO₂ emissions from many industrial sectors, where emitting CO₂ is an unavoidable part of their processes.

In ALIGN-CCUS, I’m leader for Work Package 6 (WP6), Implementing CCUS in society. Favourable societal sentiment is key for the deployment of CCUS projects in Europe. Multinational firms and governments now recognise the need for a “social licence (or mandate)” to operate and that this has to be earned through proactive and respectful liaison with society.