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Thomson Welcomes Acorn Announcement but Reflects on 16 Lost Years

Gordon MP Richard Thomson has welcomed the announcement yesterday by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of government support for the Acorn carbon capture and storage project, but has reflected on the 16 lost years since the UK Government first snubbed carbon capture in the North-east.    

Mr Thomson is a strong supporter of the Scottish Cluster Campaign, a cross-community, cross-business group which aims to create a unified voice for Scotland to progress along our decarbonisation journey, calling on the Scottish and UK Governments to take the actions needed for CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage), hydrogen and other low carbon technologies to play their full part in meeting net zero goals.  

Richard Thomson, Member of Parliament for Gordon, said:   

“At long last the UK Government has given its backing to carbon capture and storage in the North-east.    

“While late is always better than never, it’s now 16 years since the first carbon capture project was snubbed by Westminster’s Energy White Paper resulting in BP walking away, and 8 years since David Cameron’s post-referendum u-turn which saw carbon capture shelved at that time.  

“While the announcement is clearly welcome, it’s worth reflecting that if Scotland had had the powers to do so, we would not only have had carbon capture and storage in the North-east a long time ago but we would also be world leaders in the field.  

“There’s no transition to Net Zero without the North-east, and the Acorn project is a crucial piece in that jigsaw.”  

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Note: Photograph attached shows Richard Thomson MP with Charlotte Hartley of the Scottish Cluster Campaign.  

• Press Release