Shell and ExxonMobil must commit to plans for Mossmorran transition
The funding announcement for Carbon Capture and Storage means Mossmorran operators should now release their plans to de-carbonise the site, says the Scottish Green climate and energy spokesperson, Mark Ruskell MSP.
This week the UK Government announced funding for the ACORN Carbon Capture and Storage Project in the North East, as well as committing to support 100 new fossil fuel exploration licenses in the years to come.
In December 2022, Mr Ruskell published a report on the need for a just transition for Mossmorran – outlining pathways to decarbonisation that were compliant with our climate ambitions. Capturing the emissions from Mossmorran was identified as one option and Mr Ruskell has had discussions since then with the plant operators.
Mr Ruskell has now written to Shell and ExxonMobil asking them to commit to a clear investment timescale and to follow a Just Transition process that will involve workers at the site and the surrounding community.
Commenting further, Mr Ruskell said:
“Following the Acorn carbon capture project announcement, Mossmorran’s operators need to be clear on the way ahead.
“Both Shell and ExxonMobil have recorded astronomical profits in recent years, they must now commit to de-carbonising their Fife operations at the earliest opportunity.
“Any transition must be fair and just, with workers and the local community at the forefront. The report we commissioned on Mossmorran in December last year shows that a greener, fairer future for Scotland’s third largest polluter is possible – but we need to get everyone around the table to make that happen.
“Now more than ever, we need to see a renewed commitment to industrial decarbonisation at the scale required to protect us from climate breakdown. We simply don’t have time to waste.
"What the UK Government has committed to in terms of increased fossil fuel extraction is climate vandalism. We know that reducing our reliance on fossil fuels is critical to our net zero future.
“Whilst there may well be a role for carbon capture and storage in the future, particularly when it comes to decarbonising industrial sites such as Mossmorran, we cannot let it distract us from accelerating the just and fair transition to green energy that Scotland so desperately needs.
“Carbon capture should never be used as a justification for more north sea drilling, which will have a devastating impact on our environment and take us even closer to climate breakdown.”