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Governance scenario

CCS Access Dispute

Two industrial emitters compete for limited CO2 transport capacity in a carbon capture and storage network. NSTA must allocate fairly between applicants.

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This is a fictionalised teaching scenario grounded in real institutional roles, published reforms, and current public-source context.

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Work through the decision path below. Each choice changes the route, the institutional trade-offs, and the metrics the scenario tracks.

CCS Access Dispute

Step 1 of 2

NSTA

Two firms seek access to same transport route

A new CO2 transport pipeline has 2 tonnes per annum available capacity. Two industrial emitters have applied. Firm A (chemicals manufacturer) wants 1.2 tonnes/annum for existing emissions reduction. Firm B (steel producer) wants 1.5 tonnes/annum for planned expansion. Only one can be served. NSTA must decide allocation criteria.

What is at stake

  • -If you prioritise existing emissions reduction, you may underinvest in new capacity expansion.
  • -If you prioritise growth, you may miss opportunity for immediate carbon abatement.
  • -Transport infrastructure is natural monopoly. Access rules matter for competition.

What allocation criteria do you establish?

Current Metrics

Net Zero Progress68
System Security70
Affordability58
Stakeholder Trust62
Operational Efficiency60
Customer Protection62

Actors Involved

NSTAOfgemDESNZEA

Regulatory Context

Energy (Oil and Gas) Taxation Act 2010 (amended for CCS)

Governance relationship map

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Operating loop breadcrumb

Governance→Planning→Operations→Outcomes→Evidence

Current focus: Rules and accountability

Legend

Governance and policy

Rules, remits, and accountability

Planning and investment

Connections, queue progression, and delivery planning

System operations

Real-time balancing and network operation

Market and consumer outcomes

Prices, settlement, reliability, affordability

Evidence and learning

Telemetry, assurance, and continuous improvement

Glossary

  • Dispatch

    Real-time instructions to increase or reduce generation or demand so supply stays in balance.

  • Balancing

    The continuous process of matching electricity supply to demand while maintaining system frequency.

  • Constraint

    A technical limit in the network that restricts how power can flow under current conditions.

  • Industry code

    A formal rulebook that defines obligations and processes for specific market and network activities.

  • Connection agreement

    The formal agreement setting technical and milestone conditions for connecting a project to the network.

  • Settlement

    The process that turns metered and contractual positions into final market cashflow outcomes.

  • Conformance gate

    A quality checkpoint that verifies whether data or implementation meets agreed standards.

  • LTDS

    Long Term Development Statement publication requirements for distribution network data.

Guided tour

Step 1 of 8

Who sets the rules?

Start with governance: policy direction, regulatory oversight, licences, and code obligations.

Why it matters: Newcomers should first understand where authority sits before interpreting operational decisions.

Open Ofgem licence and code guidance

Preparing system graph…

Use this map to keep scenario decisions anchored to policy, coordination, operational delivery, and evidence feedback relationships.

Sources and methodology

How this page was assembled

Scenarios are designed as regulator-safe teaching runs. Institutional roles, programme context, and cited reform pathways stay grounded in current public sources, while event details and numbers inside the run remain fictionalised unless explicitly evidenced elsewhere. This scenario is framed against Energy (Oil and Gas) Taxation Act 2010 (amended for CCS).

Last reviewed 18 March 2026

Primary sources

Ransford's Notes