The UK Government is “committed” to a key carbon capture project in Scotland’s north east – though a minister could not say how much funding will be provided for it.
Scotland Office minister Kirsty McNeill said details on how much cash will go to the Acorn project in Aberdeenshire are “commercially sensitive” and cannot be made public.
However she stressed the announcement of development funding for the scheme in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s spending review was a “guarantee” of support for it.
Pressed on how much cash will go towards it, Ms McNeill told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme on Thursday: “We are looking at what it will take to make this project successful, but the fact that it has been announced at a spending review gives you a real signal of our commitment to this.”
Her comments came after Scottish Finance Secretary Shona Robison complained there was “no figure” for the funding and “no timeframe” for when money will be made available for Acorn.
The scheme, which proposes storing emissions from across Scotland under the North Sea, had previously been overlooked for funding, despite repeated calls from the Scottish Government and others for it to be backed.
Its supporters point to environmental benefits from the initiative, while developing Acorn is also seen as being key for securing a future for Grangemouth following the recent closure of the oil refinery.
Ms Robison said: “We have been pursuing the Treasury to get a handle on what the figure is, and what it is for and what the timeframe is, because we need confirmation of that, because giving confidence around this project is really important and we don’t have that.”
Ms McNeill, speaking ahead of a visit to the area by UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, said: “Those figures weren’t made available yesterday because they are commercially sensitive, but they will be made available in the fullness of time.
“The fact that the Chancellor stood up and said this from the despatch box is a guarantee to those communities that we are backing them.
“It was the number one ask of a number of Scottish stakeholders and I am delighted we were able to deliver it.
“We are committed to the Acorn project, which is why we have announced the development funding for it.”
