Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what environmental monitoring will form part of future carbon capture and storage projects beneath the seabed.

Upon receiving an application for a carbon dioxide storage permit, the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) is required by law to ensure (amongst other requirements) that the storage complex and surrounding area have been sufficiently characterised and assessed to ensure there is no significant risk of leakage, or of harm to the environment or human health. As part of the storage permit application, the operator will be required to set out a monitoring plan to demonstrate conformance and containment, detection, and measurement of a significant irregularity or leakage event.