As Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Hydrogen sectors gather momentum, Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) will host its first ever North Sea CCS & Hydrogen Summit at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Edinburgh on 1–2 June.
Majoring on the theme of “An Integrated and Resilient North Sea”, the event brings together UK and European perspectives from across industrial sectors, government and regulators to seize the decarbonisation and growth opportunity for the region.
The event builds on OEUK’s pioneering 2025 report entitled ‘Carbon Capture & Storage in the UK: Accelerating towards the merchant model’, commissioned from Arup, which outlined a clear path for transitioning the UK’s CCS sector from a government-supported model to a fully commercial, investor-led market.
The UK has significant potential to emerge as a global leader in decarbonisation efforts owing to its substantial carbon storage capacity, world-class supply chain and a project pipeline where several CCS and hydrogen projects are advancing from concept to construction. CCS projects support decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors including cement, steel and chemicals by capturing, transporting and storing emissions offshore, helping to future-proof the UK’s industrial base.
With an estimated 78 billion tonnes of theoretical storage capacity, the UK has one of the most critical storage resources for Europe. With its well-matched geology, developed through decades of oil and gas exploration, the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) offers an abundance of depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs and saline aquifers ideal for CCS projects. Representing one third of Europe’s geological CO2 storage capacity, the UK could facilitate significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions across large segments of industry and society, paving the way for a cleaner and more sustainable future.
As a low carbon alternative for industrial heating, heavy industry and transport, hydrogen has a key role to play in decarbonising the energy system, acting as a clean fuel and versatile energy carrier. As well as a potential decarbonisation tool, it could also be used to balance intermittent renewable electricity and support grid resilience.
OEUK’s CCS and Carbon Markets Manager, Laura Moyle, says: “The UK and its North Sea neighbours have exceptional expertise in oil and gas operations and this knowledge is fundamental for success in CCS and hydrogen. Our summit comes as we see crucial Final Investment Decisions take place and there’s a growing consensus on the need for interconnectivity and resilience across our infrastructure networks. The UK’s potential can be unlocked with a co-ordinated approach to the CCS and hydrogen infrastructure that will underpin the future progress of these sectors.”
OEUK’s summit will explore how firms are strengthening the business case for CCS and Hydrogen as well as confronting the real-world challenges of interoperability, quality specifications, regulatory alignment and carbon storage readiness.
For more information and booking details, visit the summit website here.