BGS responds to Government’s ambitious Ten Point Plan for net zero transition
BGS has welcomed the Government’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution which highlights the importance of geology and the ongoing need to support essential geoscientific research that will underpin the UK’s long term energy transition.
18/11/2020 By BGS Press![Wind energy](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Wind_farm_pexels.jpg)
Clean hydrogen, carbon capture and storage (CCS), zero-carbon transport and offshore wind are all key pillars of the Prime Minister’s ambitious Ten Point Plan to drive the UK towards a net zero emissions target, which will be backed by £12 billion in Government investment and aims to create 250 000 new, ‘green’ jobs.
BGS, which provides expert and independent advice on key areas of geoscience, says that before meaningful progress can be made towards technologies required for decarbonisation, scientists rapidly need to advance their understanding of the subsurface.
The Prime Minister’s statement illustrates how important geology and geological technology is for the energy transition and for the commitment to net zero.
The underground plays a vital part in this agenda and it is very important that we don’t underestimate the efforts needed to achieve this.
We recommend more funding for research in this area, and policy and regulatory support to improve investor confidence and to encourage business to get involved and make a green industrial revolution a reality for the UK.
Our role in providing expert and independent advice on key areas of geoscience, places us in a unique position to work with partners in supporting the net zero agenda.
Dr Karen Hanghøj, BGS Director.
If we want to reach net zero by 2050, we need to focus on increasing our knowledge of the subsurface of the UK.
Geothermal energy, carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and subsurface heat storage are four technologies that could get the UK towards net zero.
We need more large-scale pilot and demonstrations of geothermal, CCS and subsurface heat and hydrogen storage so that we can make rapid advances in these fields.
Prof Mike Stephenson, BGS Chief Scientist for Decarbonisation and Resource Management.
To support this, BGS will continue to research the optimal use of the rocks under the seabed for carbon dioxide and hydrogen storage, as well as establish the geological foundations of the infrastructure we will need to realise this important endeavour – new platforms, new windfarms and new pipeline infrastructure.
Through the newly established £31 million UK Geoenergy Observatories along with the broader research community, BGS will research the extraction of geothermal heat from old coal mines and other buried rocks, as well as looking into storing industrial heat or summer heat below the surface, so that it can be used later.
To support the nuclear industry, BGS will research the safe and long-term disposal of radioactive waste in deep, secure underground vaults so that it will be safe for future generations, and so that the UK can benefit from low carbon, reliable baseload electricity.
BGS also welcomes the Government’s support to develop homegrown electric cars in the UK’s world-leading manufacturing centres in the West Midlands, north-east England and North Wales. As the UK’s national provider of information and data on metals critical for battery manufacture, the BGS will research both the prospects for metal extraction in the UK and the international security of supply of metals which can help to meet the demand for batteries and other low carbon technologies.
Relative topics
Related news
![Landslide aftermath. © Timo Volz, Unsplash](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/landslide-aftermath-timo-volz-unsplash.webp)
Studying multi-hazards from space
25/07/2024
A new European Space Agency-funded project will study the effect earthquakes have on occurrences of other natural hazards in the long-term.
![Scottish river in low flow. © Paul Glendell](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/scottish-river-in-low-flow.webp)
Warnings for Scottish farmers and distillers as new data indicates climate change may double number of droughts
23/07/2024
The agricultural and distilling sectors could face significant challenges after research finds the number of droughts in Scotland may double in the next 25 years.
![North Sea Transition Authority](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NSTA_image.jpg)
National Hydrocarbons Data Archive files now accessible through the National Data Repository
15/07/2024
Offshore well and survey information held within BGS’s archive have now been transferred to the North Sea Transition Authority’s National Data Repository to enable greater access.
![Seabed geomorphology from part of the central area of the Offshore East Anglia seabed map. BGS © UKRI.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/seabed-geomorphology-offshore-East-Anglia-seabed-map-feature.webp)
New research reveals the secrets of the seabed off the East Anglian coast
11/07/2024
New geological map will help in the hunt for new renewable energy opportunities whilst protecting delicate marine ecosystems.
![GitHub logo](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GitHub_logo.jpg)
Update released for BGS open-source database software, ETL Helper
09/07/2024
The software tool helps simplify the process of data transfer into and out of databases.
![Screenshot of the AGS4 file utilities tool and API with map markers over the UK.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ags4-file-utilities-and-api.webp)
Update to BGS’s AGS file utilities tool released
19/06/2024
BGS has released significant updates to its online tool for validating geotechnical data held as AGS files. The update includes improvements to the tool’s user interface and the ability to convert AGS data into MS Excel files.
![Murrayfield Stadium located in Edinburgh, Scotland - © Thomas Feige / iStock.com](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Murrayfield_Stadium.jpg)
Quake it off: Taylor Swift concerts shake Edinburgh
13/06/2024
Seismometers around Edinburgh were triggered by the rapturous Murrayfield crowds over the weekend.
![Visitors taking part in the demonstration in BGS’s conference suit. BGS © UKRI.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/P1051253-sized.webp)
BGS opens its doors to visitors at its Open Day in Keyworth
12/06/2024
BGS hosted its bi-annual Open Day on 8 June 2024, welcoming more than 1000 visitors to its headquarters in Keyworth, Nottinghamshire.
![Geologists at St Cyrus Beach. BGS © UKRI.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/IMG_20240222_122824.webp)
BGS to update geological maps of Strathmore
10/06/2024
A three-year project has begun to revise geological maps of Strathmore, which were last surveyed nearly 100 years ago.
![Technical reports released by BGS. BGS © UKRI](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/DSSS8523-resized.webp)
BGS’s National Geoscience Data Centre releases over 8000 technical reports
05/06/2024
The technical reports, covering the full spectrum of BGS activities and subjects, were produced between 1950 and 2000.
![Hemerdon mine, Devon. BGS © UKRI.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/tungsten-hemerdon-mine-hemerdon-devon-tungsten-west.webp)
UK Minerals Yearbook 2023 now available to download
04/06/2024
The latest edition provides essential information about the production, consumption and trade of UK minerals up to 2022.
![Map showing rock type and lithology](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/data-from-bgs-geology-625k.webp)
BGS announces collaboration with Ordnance Survey
29/05/2024
Ordnance Survey and BGS have teamed up to add a range of geological data products to the OS Data Hub, making it easier for users to access and use geospatial data.