Acorn CCS proposals ‘nothing but polluters pipe dream’ 

Environmental campaigners have reacted to a letter from MSPs and MPs calling on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to back proposed Acorn CCS project in Scotland. 

The move comes as the UK Government is conducting its Spending Review, which is expected to announce CCS funding when it concludes in June. 
 
The proposed Acorn project is a partnership of fossil fuel companies including Shell and Harbour Energy. 

Friends of the Earth Scotland head of campaigns Caroline Rance commented,  

“Yet again politicians are pleading on behalf of rich fossil fuel polluters for more public money to be poured into the Acorn carbon capture project.  

“These big claims about Acorn and carbon capture do not stand up to the slightest scrutiny. Carbon capture has already had billions of pounds and decades of work to prove itself and it has failed on its promises everywhere it has been tried. There’s not a shred of evidence that the story would be any different in Scotland.  

“The Acorn project is a fossil fuel polluters pipe dream and will never live up to the hype. 

“Fossil fuel companies are laying off workers on one hand and willfully misleading them about potential jobs in CCS on the other. It is scandalous for industry lobbyists to pretend that CCS protects anything other than their profits, when workers need robust, secure transition plans.  

“Both the Scottish and UK Governments need to realise that public money would be far better invested in climate solutions that work today to bring down emissions and can create decent green jobs such as home insulation, public transport and affordable renewable energy.”