As the UK works toward its net zero ambitions, attention is increasingly turning offshore, where geological formations under the sea floor may hold the key to long-term carbon dioxide (COâ‚‚) storage. 

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) encompasses a range of technologies designed to significantly reduce emissions from large industrial sources such as steelworks, cement plants and thermal power stations. COâ‚‚ is captured at source, transported and then injected into suitable rock formations deep beneath the surface, typically at depths of over 800 m. Geologists at BGS are working to better understand the subsurface geology of the Central North Sea and its suitability for storing COâ‚‚ captured from major industrial sources. This work could release one of the UK largest, yet least-developed, carbon storage resources and underpin the in CCS projects.

Despite accounting for approximately 60 per cent of the UK total estimated COâ‚‚ storage capacity, the Central North Sea remains under-represented and highlights a major opportunity for the Government clean energy growth agenda. 

A nation rich in storage potential 

Deploying CCS at scale is a key pillar of the UK Government . Current ambitions are to store at least 50 million tonnes of COâ‚‚ per year by 2030, rising to as much as 170 million tonnes annually by 2050. 

The UK is exceptionally well positioned for offshore COâ‚‚ storage. Estimates suggest that total theoretical storage capacity exceeds 70 billion tonnes. The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), which regulates offshore COâ‚‚ storage, launched its first competitive licensing round in 2022 and followed this with a second round announced in December 2025. 

These licences allow operators to explore and appraise potential storage sites as a precursor to applying for permits that enable COâ‚‚ injection. Due to favourable geology and proximity to onshore emission hubs, most licences to date have been located in the Southern North Sea, with additional clusters in Liverpool Bay, Morecambe Bay and the Northern North Sea. However, the region with most storage potential lies elsewhere.

The drive to map this untapped potential

The enormous, currently untapped potential beneath the Central North Sea lies in extensive sandstone formations in the region. Multiple sequences of stacked Palaeogene sandstone units represent a vast potential COâ‚‚ storage resource, with more than 10 billion tonnes of theoretical capacity (approximately one quarter of the basin total regional storage capacity). These sandstones were deposited between 40 and 65 million years ago in deep-water marine fan systems. The complex stacked and interdigitated nature of these sandstone bodies raises important geological questions that must be resolved before large-scale storage can proceed.

Key considerations include: 

• the degree of connectivity between sandstone units, which has a bearing on pressure during CO₂ injection
• balance between pressure dissipation and pressure interference between neighbouring storage sites, which affects storage capacity
• the effectiveness of the vital sealing layers above and between the sandstone formations, which might be prone to disruption by various geological phenomena
• legacy oil and gas wells, which could act as pathways for CO₂ to escape if not properly assessed

With relatively few licences currently issued in the Central North Sea, robust pre-competitive geological understanding is essential to realise the region storage potential. BGS geologists have therefore begun a comprehensive programme to better understand the Palaeogene storage system. This work will also help to address regulatory and operational challenges, particularly those related to pressure effects and interactions between disparate storage projects.

John Williams, senior geoscientist at BGS.

Decades of oil and gas exploration have generated a wealth of subsurface data, including drill core that is curated in BGS National Geological Repository. Drilling core is expensive, costing as much as £20 to 30 million for a single offshore borehole, so the ability to access pre-drilled material is invaluable, both in terms of avoided drilling costs and time saved. Alongside this archived material, BGS has also developed an integrated subsurface database and interpretations comprising existing 3D seismic and well data, and a stratigraphical framework to ensure accurate regional interpretation.

From the late 1990s to the early 2000s, BGS undertook pioneering work to evaluate the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by storing COâ‚‚ in rocks offshore UK, to help mitigate climate change and develop clean energy. This early work focused on the geological storage opportunities in the Southern North Sea and East Irish Sea regions.

Potential storage sites in these regions, first identified by BGS, are among the first to be licensed and permitted by the NSTA for COâ‚‚ storage. For the UK to reach its ambition of storing 170 million tonnes of COâ‚‚ a year by 2050, it will need to look beyond the current well-appraised geographical areas.

The stacked sandstones of the Central North Sea are relatively under-studied, with huge COâ‚‚ storage potential. Our ambition is to assess and characterise the potential geological storage system in this region to enable future COâ‚‚ storage in the UK, fast-tracking the nation CCS industry.

Michelle Bentham, chief scientist for decarbonisation and resource management at BGS.

51ÁÔÆæ is seeking to establish partnerships to help unlock this nationally significant COâ‚‚ storage resource, which could play a crucial role in the UK transition to a low-carbon future. Interested parties should contact John Williams via enquiries@bgs.ac.uk

The UK geological storage resource is amongst the largest in Europe and is critical to the country achieving net zero by 2030. Funding has been awarded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council for a two-year project, ‘Maximising the UK geological storage resource’ or MaxStoreUK. The project is led by BGS with collaborators from the Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC) and researchers at Heriot-Watt University and The University of Manchester. The findings will inform investment decisions and policy development and maximise the use of the subsurface in the UK to reach net zero.

MaxStoreUK will build on subsurface hydrogen and carbon storage research investigations previously completed as part of the IDRIC research programme. The objectives of the new project are to:

• share tailored information on regional UK geological carbon dioxide (CO₂)and hydrogen storage opportunities with industry clusters and other key stakeholders
• present a UK hydrogen storage briefing to enable cross-sector policy collaboration
• increase understanding of CO₂ storage in a UK Central North Sea frontier area of extensive strata with multiple prospective storage sites
• advise on solutions to specific risks for UK hydrogen storage with operators and regulators that are addressed by our modelling and experimental data

We are delighted to have been awarded funding and begin the two-year project. We will build on existing engagement with stakeholders to unlock the full potential of the UK subsurface resource to meet the UK net zero targets and drive economic growth.

Dr Maxine Akhurst, principal geologist at BGS and project leader.

This project represents an exciting initiative to build further on the significant impact of IDRIC five-year multi-disciplinary research programme and our strong partnership with BGS. We look forward to continuing this valued collaboration, advancing progress and sharing knowledge in geological storage, which will accelerate the journey of our industrial heartlands towards a sustainable low-carbon future

Prof Mercedes Maroto-Valer, IDRIC Director.

51ÁÔÆæ hosted an Indian delegation of experts from 14 to 18 July as they deepen their understanding of the UK carbon capture and storage (CCS) landscape, with the aim of furthering India potential use of the technology. The visit resulted from a new UK/India partnership, the Centre of Innovation in Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage.

Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) includes a suite of technologies that aim to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions associated with large industrial sources such as steel works, cement plants and other energy-intensive industries. India is currently working on a new policy framework for CCS within the country, which will assist in India goal of becoming net zero by 2070.

The Indian group visited to explore research outcomes in CO₂ storage at BGS and to further opportunities for knowledge exchange between research groups in the UK and India. It also provided an opportunity for the team to learn about key policy and regulatory approaches in the UK that could be applied in India.

It been highly exciting and insightful to visit and interact with the premier groups involved in CO₂ storage, capture and utilisation research at BGS, Heriot-Watt University and Imperial College during this deep dive visit by the Indian delegation, organised by the British High Commission. I am highly impressed with the excellent and innovative research work being done at BGS in the area of CO₂ storage research.

I really appreciate and thank BGS for the excellent coordination and for organising the meetings for the delegation across UK to explore the possibility of collaborations under the Indo-UK Net Zero Innovation Partnership.

Dr Neelima Alam, Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India

The delegation visited BGS Edinburgh office before being taken on a tour of Heriot-Watt University Research Centre for Carbon Solutions. Following this, the group took in BGS headquarters in Keyworth, Nottinghamshire, before travelling to London for meetings with Imperial College London, the Carbon Capture and Storage Association and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and concluded with a visit to BP to learn about the Northern Endurance Partnership.

Building on our longstanding collaboration with research groups in India, it is our privilege to host the delegation and give them an opportunity to both understand our research capability and hear about the UK approach to implementing CCS. This visit marks the start of our new joint centre, a very exciting opportunity to deepen our collaboration and share knowledge on key aspects of CO₂ storage.

Dr Jonathan Pearce, head of CO₂ storage research, BGS.

The trip was organised by the UK/India Centre of Innovation in Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage, which is co-led by the CO₂ storage team at BGS and the National Centre of Excellence in Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (NCoE-CCUS) at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. It was sponsored by the British High Commission in Delhi. The delegation was led by Dr Neelima Alam of the Deptartment of Science and Technology in the Government of India.

Decision makers across the UK are today considering new research that reveals areas of the subsurface with outstanding geological potential to boost economic growth. They will help unlock an estimated and energy-transition technologies. The findings identify eight ‘geological super regions’. These are the areas with a subsurface composition that is ‘just right’ to potentially host multiple energy-transition technologies, which will help deliver the UK net zero aspirations as presented in the Government Clean Power Action Plan.

Whilst other parts of the UK benefit from geology well suited to certain net zero technologies, such as shallow geothermal installations or critical minerals occurrences, these geological super regions contain subsurface formations and conditions that are favourable to multiple different technologies within a relatively small area. The geological super regions that could play a pivotal role in the application of sustainable energy production and decarbonisation are:

• Northern Ireland
• the Scottish Central Belt
• north-east England
• north-west England
• the South Yorkshire and Humber region
• the East Midlands and East Anglia
• South Wales
• south-west England

The subsurface has a vital role to play in the energy transition, acting as an enabler and helping deliver economic growth by providing:

• a sustainable heat source for geothermal energy
• geological formations for secure storage of energy and carbon dioxide (CO₂)
• rocks containing important resources for mineral extraction
• suitable geological foundation conditions for onshore and offshore wind power infrastructure projects

The benefits of a stronger renewable sector for UK residents could include improved access to secure, affordable, sustainable energy and subsurface raw materials, contributing to economic prosperity and net zero targets for the UK.

The findings provide crucial insights for decision makers looking to target further research and maximise return on investment in the pursuit of a reliable and sustainable energy future for the UK. Whilst these eight regions display many of the right geological ingredients, further investigation will be required to fully establish each region true potential, ensure safe deployment of each technology, and understand any environmental impact.

The data underpinning this research has been shaped by our current understanding of the subsurface. In some cases, this data is weighted towards existing project development and there is also a correlation with UK industrial clusters. A few parts of the country, such as the north of Scotland and parts of Wales, have been less extensively surveyed and further research is required in order to fully assess their potential.

Matching subsurface technologies and favourable geological conditions is essential for identifying regions with opportunities for investment, providing a roadmap for the UK to reach net zero emissions and ensuring a reliable and sustainable clean energy future. These findings provide a clear and deployable roadmap for decision makers to direct resources to the areas where they can deliver the greatest impact and support the through renewable energy by 2030.

Much of the UK subsurface can support at least one of the energy-transition technologies assessed, but what makes these geological super regions stand out is their versatility and potential to host multiple net zero technologies.

Work still lies ahead to accurately map these subsurface regions and BGS is uniquely positioned to undertake such investigations due to our national remit, recognised geological expertise and national geological data holdings.

Michelle Bentham, BGS Chief Scientist for decarbonisation and resource management.

Geology is a complex and diverse natural resource. Its variable characteristics have the potential to support multiple net zero technologies. Strategic planning and careful management will be vital to ensure safe and secure deployment, especially in locations where technologies may co-exist, whilst also protecting the surrounding environment for future generations.

Regional summaries and maps

Distribution maps by energy transition technology

Notes to editors

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) includes a suite of technologies that aim to reduce atmospheric emissions associated with large industrial emission sources, such as steel works, cement plants and thermal power stations. Balancing climate targets against the increasing emissions that result from continued expansion of these core industrial sectors represents a significant challenge for growing economies such as India. Could capturing these emissions at source and disposing of the carbon dioxide (CO₂) in porous rocks deep beneath the surface be a part of the solution? The International Energy Agency clearly thinks so, as it estimates that .

51ÁÔÆæ work in India

51ÁÔÆæ has been working to improve understanding of the potential for CO₂ storage as part of its International Geoscience Research and Development programme. During a successful trip to India in early 2023, BGS researchers met a wide range of stakeholders from industry, academia and policy groups to discuss the prospect of CO₂ storage. Based on these discussions, we produced a brief summary of the knowledge gaps that need to be addressed to enable India to make informed decisions on CCS. These relate to the need to:

• identify and catalogue suitable geological storage locations
• ensure protection of groundwater, soil and the surface environment
• better understand baseline seismicity and potential impacts of CO₂ injection
• develop appropriate monitoring methodologies for CO₂ storage in India
• understand public attitudes towards technologies such as CCS

An improved knowledge base is required to develop appropriate policies, including details on if, where, and how much CO₂ can be securely stored in the rocks beneath India.

A key milestone

In March 2024, Jonathan Pearce and I travelled to Mumbai to participate in an international symposium on CCS. The event was hosted by the (SEG), the learned society dedicated to promoting the science and education of exploration geophysics. This was the first international conference specifically dedicated to exploring the role of geology in CCS to be held in India and was attended by 124 registered delegates from 15 countries. A has been published.

The symposium provided an opportunity for BGS and partners to present our research, and to participate in several panel discussions and sandpit debates. As one of the co-chairs, Jonathan Pearce of BGS even had the pleasure of providing the concluding remarks!

While it may seem a little over the top to describe a single three-day symposium as a key milestone in India CCS journey, this story will ultimately both begin and end with the country geology. It is the disposition and properties of the rocks that will ultimately dictate the degree to which CCS can contribute to India emissions reduction targets. Events such as these are therefore essential in providing a forum to bring the geoscience community together to share knowledge and to exchange ideas.

Political involvement

Things are also moving at a political level in India. In July 2024, the held a  and the government of India is currently for its adoption. These initiatives will clearly require further support from the geoscience community. At BGS, we continue to collaborate with our partners in India to progress the science and to provide the knowledge to allow informed decision making.

About the author

John Williams

Senior geoscientist

51ÁÔÆæ Keyworth

Find out more

The UK Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC) funded research by BGS and Heriot-Watt University (HWU) to update the UK’s national carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage database, adding 61 new and updating more than 210 CO₂ storage units offshore UK.

is the UK national online evaluation database that identifies the geological storage potential under the UK seabed. Geological storage of CO₂ is a key component of industry carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects to permanently reduce release of emissions to the atmosphere.

IDRIC CO₂ Stored 2.0 has delivered the first major update of the underpinning data in the UK national database since its population in 2011. Information on oil and gas is confidential for the first five years; this update has added new hydrocarbon field storage data from a 15-year period.

The updated database provides access to 630 potential storage units in the UK, including saline aquifers and depleted oil and gas fields, as well as:

• remapping and updated information for stores in the East Irish Sea Basin
• data from the Government- and industry-supported Peterhead and White Rose CCS and Strategic Storage Appraisal projects
• updates for 205 and addition of 61 hydrocarbon field storage units

The UK is a global leader in provision of online information via its national CO₂ storage resource. Data is freely available and gives users access to detailed information on the storage units within the database. It has been the starting point for industry CO₂ storage projects, as well as informing Government strategy and providing data for academic research to reduce CO₂ emissions in the UK and more widely.

I’m delighted to announce the first major update of the data underpinning the UK national CO₂ storage database by the CO₂ Stored 2.0 project. BGS is the national provider of geoscience information for the UK. Up-to-date data is now available to inform industry plans, the UK Government and regulatory strategy, and research to help reduce our CO₂ emissions in the UK and worldwide.

Maxine Akhurst, BGS Principal Geologist and project leader.

As we come closer to industrial scale roll-out of CCS in the UK Continental Shelf, it is increasingly evident that a mature hydrocarbon basin means there will be greater challenges and opportunities for successful CCS deployment. Data for 61 hydrocarbon field storage units not previously available in the database have been added: as a result, CO₂ Stored is an even more comprehensive tool for evaluating opportunities in depleted and depleting oil and gas fields and in neighbouring brine-filled aquifer formations.

Prof Eric Mackay, leader of HWU CO2Stored 2.0 research.

IDRIC whole system programme of 100 research projects has demonstrated the capacity to be responsive to industry needs and be an engine of green growth. This important research project underpins crucial knowledge to understand the UK capacity for permanent geological storage of CO₂ captured at the UK industrial clusters. CO₂ storage enables industry plans to decarbonise by deploying Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS). Up-to-date and improved understanding of the UK CO₂ storage resource is essential to inform scale-up and acceleration of these development and deployment plans by industry.

By integrating findings such as the outputs of this project across IDRIC research portfolio, we are directly informing plans for decarbonisation of the UK largest industrial clusters, as well as nurturing transformative collaborations between the clusters and academic research teams local to them.

Prof Mercedes Maroto-Valer, champion and director of the Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre.

Soils can help to sequester carbon, capturing carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere and storing it as buried organic carbon. Despite the numerous advantages, the potential to sequester carbon in soils in any given place is potentially limited by many various environmental, geological, technological, economic and political barriers. This presents a significant challenge to scientists tasked with conceiving ways of maintaining or increasing the long-term storage of organic carbon.  

One option is expanding the use of the subsoil — the soil that sits beneath surface soil. This is currently an underexploited resource that could be used for greater organic carbon sequestration. It naturally contains substantial quantities of minerals such as iron oxides and clays, which scientists know can help stabilise organic carbon. It is also a proven natural strategy.

Hidden buried carbon deposits already exist in the subsoil as a result of erosion and deposition processes operating over geological time periods during the landscaping of Great Britain. A new study by a collaboration of researchers from the UK demonstrates the importance of understanding erosion processes in the long-term burial and storage of organic carbon. The research, ‘, is published in Earth-Science Reviews and was led by scientists at BGS, the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrogeology and Cranfield University.

Understanding the stability of this organic carbon buried over time and in different landscape settings may help to increase the success of new methods and future strategies to bury organic carbon.

Given the urgency to abate climate change, it is important that research considers how to maximise organic carbon storage and sequestration potential, whilst ensuring that storage mechanisms are protected against, and resilient to, perturbation.

The first stages in this effort are to establish where and how much buried organic carbon exists, the processes that led to its burial, and the mechanisms that have protected it against mineralisation. By doing so, it may be possible to develop effective national strategies for using soil parent material for organic carbon sequestration.

Andy Tye, BGS Geochemist and lead author of the study.

The challenge of storing carbon in soils

A major organic carbon burial route within landscapes is through erosion and deposition processes in which sediment (rock and soil) is transported and deposited in new places. These processes incorporate and bury organic carbon in the new deposits formed. This redistribution can occur over extremely long periods of time, driven by climatic, geological and geomorphological interactions.

More recently, the development of ‘frontier technologies’ has demonstrated potential to help sequester more and more carbon in the deeper soil, including utilising natural processes such as dissolved organic carbon leaching, breeding plants with deeper rooting systems, or injecting organic matter into soils. However, scientists believe that a considerable complication may exist through potential ‘priming effects’. These occur when the input of fresh soil organic carbon increases the potential for older, more stable soil organic carbon to be decomposed, releasing CO₂. Disturbance of soil through agriculture or construction are ways in which the mixing of organic carbon sources may take place, increasing the opportunity for the priming effect to occur.

Addressing the knowledge gap

To increase understanding of the nature of these erosion processes, the researchers looked at the temporal and spatial characteristics of these long-term organic carbon sinks in soils. The study investigated the processes involved in and the extent of organic carbon burial across Great Britain since the UK Last Glacial Maximum (UK-LGM), approximately 27 000 years ago — the last time a large-scale, natural perturbation of the landscape occurred.

They found that specific erosion processes can determine the type of deposit formed and its likely organic carbon concentration. Glacial erosion processes often leave thick deposits but with relatively low organic carbon concentrations. Deposits developed in the Holocene (the current geological period) are generally thinner but with higher organic carbon concentrations, reflecting the role vegetation plays in reducing erosion and increasing the organic carbon contents of eroding soils.  

Developing a national-scale model

Great Britain has extensive data on soil depth, buried organic carbon age and the spatial extent of deposits that have been collected through soil and geological surveys and landscape reconstruction. This information has enabled national-scale understanding of erosion-related deposits, along with their buried organic carbon properties.  

Using this collated information, scientists used model simulations to produce estimates of the mass of organic carbon buried within three deposit types: Devensian (last ‘ice age’) till, Devensian glaciofluvial deposits and Holocene alluvium. Combined median estimates for these three deposit types alone, suggest that 385 Megatonnes (MT) of organic carbon may have been buried in these deposits across Great Britain, demonstrating the role post-UK-LGM erosion processes have had in the long-term sequestration of organic carbon.    

Using these kinds of studies, it may be possible to produce a spatial framework, or national model, to identify those landscapes where buried organic carbon may be found, and its type.

From there, we can develop a greater understanding of how human perturbation, particularly the ability to excavate large areas and masses of soil parent material, along with modifying hydrological pathways, impacts the existing buried organic carbon store.

Andy Tye.

These are important first steps towards a greater understanding of where buried organic carbon exists within the landscape and provides a natural archive of material for future studies relating to organic carbon stabilisation.  

Funding

This project was funded by BGS under its National Capability funding under projects NEE2089 and NEE7185.   

A new report from a carbon storage scoping study demonstrates the importance of community engagement to define the research agenda to achieve the UK national climate change targets.

Carbon capture and storage is ‘a necessity, not an option, in meeting net-zero’, according to the UK Committee on Climate Change. A NERC-funded carbon storage scoping study, commissioned in October 2020, identifies a strategic need for a national research infrastructure in carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage and developed the key research and innovation challenges it could address.

Scoping study outputs

The scoping study, led by BGS (one of NERC strategic partners):

• identified the strategic need for and benefits of a new CO₂ storage research infrastructure
• assessed the national and international CO₂ storage research and infrastructure landscape
• developed a science case
• presented a longlist of viable research infrastructure designs.

Success built on stakeholder engagement

The scoping study is underpinned by extensive community engagement. A three-phase engagement strategy garnered responses from the research, industry, regulator, policy, commercial and international sectors.

The CO₂ storage project ambitions are for a truly multidisciplinary research and innovation programme. The robust engagement activities identified key knowledge gaps and defined the scientific challenges a new research infrastructure could address, including:

• understanding real-life operational impacts on long-term storage efficiency, to improve storage security and reduce risks and costs
• improving knowledge of subsurface geological processes at scale
• determining the necessary level of site characterisation to ensure maximum value of information is achieved in subsequent experimental campaigns
• cost-effective monitoring, conformance, technologies and development of equipment and services
• monitoring technology, environmental research and strategic management of different UK low-carbon energy uses
• social attitudes to local hosting of major ‘net zero’ infrastructure as well as citizen science opportunities beyond CO₂ storage

Further funding for infrastructure design

The project received an additional £2million from the , announced in June 2022. The funding, for the next two years, will:

• confirm the research infrastructure design and operating model
• develop a shortlist of potential infrastructure locations
• produce a business case for the full project

This exciting scoping study has shown the need for a world-leading, deep geological CO₂ storage research facility in the UK. Working closely with a range of stakeholders, we established a list of science questions that this facility would address in order to develop applied research and innovation to help the UK progress towards net-zero.

Michelle Bentham BSc, MSc, BGS Chief Scientist for Decarbonisation and Resource Management.

Permanent geological CO₂ storage has huge potential to prevent increased concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere, but research is needed is needed to ensure that such an approach is safe, effective and appropriately monitored. This scoping study has brought together a wide range of the research and innovation, industry and regulatory communities to understand the scientific and technical questions that could be addressed by establishing a subsurface CO₂ storage research facility. I look forward the next stage of this very exciting and ambitious project to determine the potential for a CO₂ storage research infrastructure in the UK and its role in achieving the UK climate change targets.

Iain Williams, NERC Director of Strategic Partnerships.

Scoping study report

The report articulates the work completed in the scoping study and its key outputs.

If you have any questions on the report, the scoping study or the carbon storage project, please contact 51ÁÔÆæcorporatecomms@bgs.ac.uk.