The UK’s second carbon storage licensing round has attracted bids covering more than 2 million acres of seabed. Following consultation with The Crown Estate, Crown Estate Scotland and other seabed users, the round ran from 9 December 2025 to 24 March 2026, offering 14 sites with the potential to provide up to 2 gigatonnes of CO2 storage capacity.
Storage permitting is already progressing. The Endurance site received the UK’s first carbon storage permit from the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) in December 2024. Three further permits were subsequently awarded to the HyNet cluster in early 2025.
These developments are part of the UK government’s Track 1 CCUS programme. The HyNet and East Coast clusters were selected through the government’s cluster sequencing process and are targeting initial CO2 injection from 2028.
Endurance, located off the coast of Teesside, has recently begun drilling an appraisal well. This follows earlier drilling activity at the Hewett field in the Southern North Sea by the Bacton CCS project.
NSTA has also published maps identifying areas with future carbon storage appraisal potential, along with a set of stewardship expectations for licensees.
Andy Brooks, NSTA’s Director of New Ventures, said: “As we transition, we benefit from decades of experience in the North Sea, commercial know-how, optimal geological conditions and spatial co-ordination.”
Photo courtesy of NSTA