A draft UK government assessment has concluded that licensing three areas offered in the country’s second offshore carbon dioxide storage licensing round would not adversely affect the integrity of protected marine sites, provided appropriate mitigation and project-specific controls are applied.
The North Sea Transition Authority launched the licensing round in December 2025, offering 14 areas across the northern, central and southern North Sea, the English Channel and east Irish Sea. The round closed on 24 March 2026 with six applications.
An initial screening found that nine of the 14 areas would require an Appropriate Assessment if applications were received. The newly published assessment consequently examined three applied-for areas: English Channel Area 1 and Southern North Sea Areas 3 and 6.
Potential effects considered include physical disturbance associated with drilling and rig placement, drilling discharges, underwater noise from seismic surveys and vertical seismic profiling, and vessel movements. The assessment also considers the cumulative effects of carbon-storage appraisal alongside offshore wind, shipping, fisheries and other activities.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero concluded that it has no objection to the NSTA awarding storage licences covering the three areas, subject to applicants meeting the round’s requirements. However, receiving a licence would not automatically authorise seismic acquisition, appraisal drilling or storage operations. These activities would require separate permits and location-specific environmental assessments.
Possible mitigation measures include relocating wells or rig legs to avoid sensitive seabed features, minimising or removing rock used for rig stabilisation, scheduling work outside sensitive periods for marine species and coordinating activities that generate underwater noise.
The government is consulting on the draft Appropriate Assessment until 19 August 2026. Following consultation, the document may be amended before final licensing decisions are made.
Link to the assessment here.
