Carbon capture and the renewal of British industry

Thank you, Olivia [Powis], for that introduction.

I’m really pleased to join you this afternoon as the new minister responsible for carbon capture, utilisation and storage.

In July, the Prime Minister asked me to continue in the department in a new role, as Olivia said, as Minister for Local Energy and Jobs. The idea behind this brief is simple.

Energy has always been a critical sector for our country – employing tens of thousands of people, driving and contributing to the country’s economy.

And with the country now firmly in the midst of the energy transition, my focus is on making sure that every single community feels the benefit and that people across the country can grab the opportunities of the transition with both hands.

What I say about this job is that it isn’t a job that deals in the abstract. This is about people and places. And that’s why it’s at the heart of the Prime Minister’s agenda for reindustrialisation.

This sector underpins so many communities in the UK and for decades, industrial decline has dismantled the people and places at the heart of it.

As we transition our economy from fossil fuels to clean homegrown power, we have to be clear what this is about…

…maintaining our independence, reducing our reliance on dictators and petrostates, rebuilding our industrial strength…

…creating good jobs and restoring opportunity in every part of the country.

And ultimately, building a world-leading British economy that is fit for the challenges of the future.

And I see CCUS playing a key role in that.

Your sector enables some of our most strategically important sectors, including cement, chemicals, refining and low-carbon power generation…

…to remain competitive in an increasingly carbon-constrained global economy.

It helps decarbonise existing industries, safeguard foundational sectors, and create the conditions for new low-carbon products and services to emerge.