Adam Green
Policy and Regulatory Consultant
“I’ve learned more about cultures from around the world in one year than I’ve ever learned in my life.”
Houston-based Adam works as Policy and Regulatory Consultant in our carbon capture use and storage (CCUS) growth team. A role he joined just over a year ago after he took part in Worley’s Future Leaders program.
“One of my first assignments was to write a job description for a policy and regulatory analyst. Doing this made me realize I wanted to work in policy and regulation.
“It's been a whirlwind first year. The introduction of new legislation and policy incentives can be fundamental to driving the projects needed to power the energy transition, especially for CCUS. So, to be at the forefront makes every day a surprise.”
Correcting public perception of CCUS
While CCUS is often cited as a critical component of the energy transition, Adam is honest about the challenges ahead and the immediate need to correct the dialogue around CCUS.
“The biggest misconceptions are that capture technology isn't ready and geological storage isn't safe. But we’ve been capturing CO2 and securely storing it in geological formations for decades, through enhanced oil recovery operations.
“The CCUS industry requires cooperation and collaboration along the value chain to achieve climate goals. There’s no point in capturing CO2 if you have no place to store or use it. And there’s no point in developing storage resources if the technology to capture and transport it isn’t ready. Working together will make sure the dots are connected and have efficient upscaling of CCUS overall.”
The impact of regulations in scaling up CCUS
While the need to scale up the development of CCUS operations is a global challenge, Adam highlights those already leading the way.
“Leadership in CCUS has largely hinged on government intervention and support for pilot, demonstration, and commercial-scale deployment of CCUS projects in their jurisdiction.
“The UK was long recognized as the leader in this space until the US introduced the Inflation Reduction Act. This, combined with support from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provided the private sector the boost it needed to pursue action on the development of CCUS projects,” he says.
“But it’s not just countries, traditional oil and gas industry leaders have also demonstrated strong commitments to decarbonization. As energy-intensive industries look to CCUS as a pathway to achieve their emissions reduction targets. Further securing its place in a net zero future”.
