CARBON capture and storage (CCS) expertise developed in Scotland is set to be harnessed to help deal with emissions in the US.

The company behind the Acorn CCS project in Aberdeenshire, Storrega Geotechnologies, has formed a joint venture with a US oil and gas firm to target opportunities in the Gulf of Mexico area.

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Storrega expects the tie up with Talos Energy could help make it a significant player in an area it described as a prime location for offshore carbon capture projects in the U.S.

The area contains large numbers of industrial facilities that generate huge volumes of carbon dioxide emissions in total. These lie within relatively close range of oil and gas reservoirs offshore that it is thought could be used for the storage of carbon dioxide.

Storrega is confident that the venture is well placed to succeed in the emerging CCS market in the Gulf of Mexico because of the combination of skills that it and Talos offer.

Storrega noted that it is the lead developer of the Acorn project. This is expected to involve the capture of emissions from across Scotland for storage in depleted North Sea reservoirs and the development of related hydrogen fuel production facilities.

Storrega described Acorn as the most cost-effective and scalable CCS project in the UK. The company acquired its interest in Acorn last year through the takeover of Banchory-based Pale Blue Dot Energy, which led early work on the project. Storrega has won backing from international investors that share its view that Acorn-type projects could be developed in other oil and gas basins.

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Chief executive Nick Cooper said: “The US Gulf Coast offers significant potential for CCS and we are delighted to be partnering with Talos, a leading offshore operator. The joint venture demonstrates the international opportunities for Storegga as an independent developer of CCS infrastructure. We hope that it will be the first of many.”