Dumfries carbon capture company announce launch of £120m CO2 removal project

The new carbon removal initiative plans to remove 1,000,000 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere per year. Credit: Carbon Capture Scotland

A Dumfries carbon capture company have announced the launch of £120m carbon removal project.

Carbon Capture Scotland have launched Project Nexus, a carbon removal initiative, which plans to remove 1,000,000 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere per year and to generate up to 500 jobs in rural Scotland, by 2030.

The new initiative will take CO2 that is produced via organic processes such as whisky fermentation, anaerobic digestion and biomass incineration – and transport it to sequestration sites where the CO2 will be permanently removed.

Brothers Richard and Ed Nimmons from Carbon Capture Scotland said: “We all need carbon capture and removal to be achieved at scale.

"At CCS we focus on simple, practical means of capturing, processing, transporting and removing CO2 and we look forward to leading the global path to net zero. 

“Removing 1,000,000 tons of CO2 per year is the equivalent of decarbonising the gas and electricity of over 175,000 average UK homes. Project Nexus will achieve that, and we can start right now.”

The £120m investment will allow for a sustainable and commercial means of carbon dioxide removal, starting in 2023 with projects in Central and Northern Scotland.

CCS have piloted a variety of CO2 capturing and processing technologies at their current headquarters in Dumfries & Galloway, where they currently capture and/or recycle over 10,000t CO2 per year to make dry ice.

Constructed in 2021, the £4m project was used to maintain dry ice supplies during the recent COVID vaccination rollout and CO2 shortages.

Net Zero & Energy Secretary Michael Matheson said: “CCUS will be a vital part of our net zero energy transition. Indeed, advice from the Climate Change Committee describes it as a necessity, not an option to achieve net zero emissions.

“The Scottish Government is fully supportive of the technology and has made £80 million available to its continued growth and development – together with a dedicated £5 million fund to support carbon Utilisation.

“Carbon Capture Scotland has been at the forefront of making CCUS technology a reality in Scotland, and I welcome its ambitious plans to scale-up its carbon capture operations, opening up further economic opportunities and green jobs for the region and across Scotland.”

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