Current status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 28 May 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what the impact might be (a) on its climate emission targets and (b) job creation in North East Scotland of the funding allocated by the UK Government to the East Coast Cluster and HyNet carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) clusters compared with the Acorn cluster, and what assessment it has made of this funding.
The Scottish Government’s Climate Change Plan makes clear that the Acorn Project is essential to meeting Scotland’s emissions targets, while our Green Industrial Strategy highlights the significant economic benefits CCUS can deliver for Scotland, particularly in the North East.
The UK Government pledged close to £22 billion for the HyNet and East Coast Cluster projects in 2024, last month the East Coast Cluster confirmed it has already awarded £1.5 billion to UK supply chain firms. This is the type of economic boost that Scotland should be experiencing, but the UK Government has yet to provide a timeline for the £200 million development support for the Acorn Project that was announced last year.
The failure by successive UK Governments to provide a full funding package for the Acorn project is risking emissions reductions and denying the North East the job creation and economic benefits that would be realised if Acorn were funded comparatively with the East Coast Cluster and HyNet Cluster projects.