The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has received bids for more than 2 million acres of seabed at the closure of the UK’s second carbon storage licensing round on 24 March.
The applications pave the way for further carbon stores in the UK and highlight the sustained progress in the sector, which has experienced a series of landmark developments in the past few months as existing projects head toward first injection.
The second carbon storage licensing round was launched in December 2025. The NSTA said it hopes that, if licenses are offered in these areas, they will build on the success of the four storage permits already awarded in two different locations in the UK.
Track 1 project Endurance was granted a storage permit allowing it to move toward a possible first injection date in 2028, while the second Track 1 project, HyNet, was awarded three storage permits, which will allow it to target first injection also in 2028.
The UK government said it expects the two sites to create 4,000 jobs in the northwest and northeast of England and, in the long term, support 50,000 jobs in the rest of the country.
“The growth of the carbon storage sector is great news for UK jobs, growth, skills, and the supply chain,” said Andy Brooks, NSTA’s director of new ventures. “The UK holds a unique position in developing offshore energy in general, including carbon storage. As we transition, we benefit from decades of experience in the North Sea, commercial know-how, optimal geological conditions, and spatial coordination.”
Endurance, off the coast of Teesside, also recently started drilling an appraisal well, which follows the one spudded in the Hewett field in the southern North Sea by the Bacton CCS project.
The NSTA has initiated a series of initiatives designed to support the industry, including publishing maps highlighting areas of future carbon storage appraisal potential and issuing a set of stewardship expectations to help licensees.
The NSTA now plans to review the applications received and work with the applicants and other stakeholders before deciding on whether to award licenses.