The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has received bids covering more than 2 million acres (over 8,000 km2) of seabed at the closure of the UK’s second carbon storage licensing round (NSTA press release, 24/03/2026).
The second bidding round, which opened in December 2025, closed on 24 March 2026 and follows the first four licences awarded in 2023, where initial work to test the injection process is already underway.
>> In Other News: ExxonMobil Fires Up Second CCS Hub in Louisiana with NG3
“It is hoped that, if licences are offered in these areas, they will build on the success of the four storage permits already awarded in two different locations in the UK”, according to the press release. The first projects awarded during the initial round could become operational in 2028:
Initial Projects From First Licensing Round
The Endurance project, located off the north-east coast of England, was granted a storage permit allowing for a potential total storage of 100 MtCO₂ over a period of 25 years.
The HyNet project received three storage permits, with phase one designed to store 109 MtCO₂ over 25 years in the East Irish Sea.
Second Licensing Round Capacity
The second round offered 14 locations, which the NSTA indicated could provide up to 2 Gt of additional CO₂ storage capacity.
Subscribe to the newsletter
Daily decarbonization data and news delivered to your inbox
Follow the money flow of climate, technology, and energy investments to uncover new opportunities and jobs.
Latest issues
-
Canada Found Hydrogen Underground. A Lot of It.
Inside This Issue 🍁 Canada's Natural Hydrogen Bet Just Got A Lot Bigger 💰 Carbon Pricing Now Covers 63% Of Global GDP As Emissions Trading Expands 🏛️ Republicans Introduce American Energy Dominanc...
-
Innio Just Ran a Data Center on 100% Hydrogen. Here's What Happened.
Inside This Issue ⚡ Innio and Net Zero Innovation Hub Deliver World-First 3 MW Demonstration of 100% Hydrogen Backup Power for Data Centers 🌳 Chestnut Carbon Doubles Footprint in Southeast U.S. to...
-
First CO2 Well in Four States. It's in Kansas.
Inside This Issue 🛢️ Kansas Gets Its First CO2 Storage Well, PureField Shows How 🤝 FPH2 Expands California Renewable Hydrogen Supply Partnerships To Support Public Fleets, Data Infrastructure, And...
Company Announcements
-
Aviva Investors Partners With Climate Impact Partners To Invest In Colombian Afforestation Project
(London) – Aviva Investors, the global asset management business of Aviva plc, announces it has funded a large-scale afforestation and restoration project in Colombia, partnering with Climate Impac...
-
The close scales the project to 60,000 hectares of funded restoration, positioning Spekboom amongst the world's largest projects. The close combines streaming capital from a syndicate of institutio...
-
WASHINGTON, April 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ammonia Energy Association (AEA) has partnered with MiQ to launch the AEA Ammonia Certification System, a global certification system designed to faci...
-
Verde And Isometric Aim To Scale High Integrity Carbon Credits Through Infrastructure
ST. LOUIS, April 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Verde Resources Inc. (OTCQB: VRDR ) ("Verde"), an emerging leader in sustainable infrastructure products and technologies, today announced a strategic coll...