JOURNAL: Updating the environmental regulation of liquified CO2 storage in ports to support carbon capture and storage plans in the UK
Summary
Authors:
Wassim Dbouk
Damon Teagle
Lindsay-Marie Armstrong
Johanna Hjalmarsson
Alexandros Ntovas
Stephen Turnock
University of Southampton
Updating the environmental regulation of liquified CO2 storage in ports to support carbon capture and storage plans in the UK
Environmental Law Review
March 2026
This paper examines whether UK environmental law is ready to regulate the temporary storage of liquid CO2 at ports, an increasingly important step for carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects that rely on ships rather than pipelines to transport CO2. Reviewing the current Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations, the researchers find that while they offer a solid basis for environmental protection, they lack the clarity needed to deal with the specific challenges of shipping-based CCS. The paper proposes targeted reforms to close these gaps, support infrastructure development and provide the legal certainty needed to help the UK meet its net-zero goals.