The UK is becoming increasingly reliant on imported carbon dioxide, leaving the industrial gases sector vulnerable. In part that is because homegrown biogenic CO2 sources remain underutilised due to policy uncertainty and infrastructure delays.
The warning is from former BCGA Chair and independent energy consultant David Hurren, speaking at the BCGA Conference 2025 today. He warned that while feedstocks such as food and agricultural waste could offer a resilient, homegrown supply of CO2, the UK continues to import nearly half of its requirement.
“That leaves [the UK] incredibly vulnerable to what is happening in other markets,” he said.
The UK biogenic CO2 market, driven by anaerobic digestion and biomethane production, today provides around 10% of the UK’s CO2, according to Hurren. But while the potential exists to scale this dramatically, challenges around economic viability, facility size, and collection logistics are holding things back.
“As facilities get to 10 to 20 tonnes per day, capture becomes viable,” he noted. “But many UK plants remain too small to make it work.”
David Hurren speaking on the UK potential of biogenic CO2
Hurren also highlighted the absence of a UK certification framework for biogenic CO2 as a key obstacle. He pointed to ongoing work with trade bodies including the European Biogas Association and the European Industrial Gases Association.
“Right now, if you ask for biogenic CO2, there’s no differentiation,” he said. “But once the market starts requiring validation, added value will follow.”
The situation is different in the EU, where the Emissions Trading System has provisions for biogenic carbon removals and can incentivise the capture of biogenic CO2 from sources like waste incinerators.
However, this policy side needs major work. According to modelling cited by the European Commission in its 2040 climate roadmap, around 280 million tonnes of CO2 would need to be captured annually by 2040, rising to 450 million tonnes by 2050.
By 2040, close to half of the CO2 that is captured annually would have to come from biogenic sources or directly from the atmosphere, according to a 2024 report from trade body Carbon Capture & Storage Europe.
The carbon storage side is also lagging. Only one UK cluster, HyNet in the north-west of England, is expected to be operational before 2030, with other projects unlikely to proceed this decade.
“The Dutch look at the UK and say, ‘you’ve got infinite storage,’ but we’re still dragging our feet,” Hurren said.
He called for trade associations and industry leaders to engage now with government to shape standards and avoid unintended consequences from evolving regulations.
“We need to find those opportunities,” he said. “The potential is massive, but the market isn’t growing as fast as the production opportunity right now.”
