Stored for Good: Getting Real About Risk in CCUS

I’ve spent much of my career thinking about risk, how we quantify it, how we communicate it, and more importantly, how we live with it. As CCUS moves from concept to critical infrastructure, we need to get honest about what “safe and successful” really means.

Because storing carbon isn’t just a technical challenge. It’s a trust challenge.

At its core, CCUS risk falls into three buckets: people, environment, and value. None of them are new. But the way they intersect in CCUS is.

First, people. CO₂ doesn’t behave like the hazards most are familiar with. It’s invisible, odourless, and unforgiving. I’ve seen firsthand how quickly complacency can creep in when a risk isn’t obvious. The reality is simple: if we don’t design, monitor, and operate these systems with absolute clarity, we put lives at risk. That’s not a trade-off we get to make.

Second, the environment. The whole premise of CCUS is long-term containment. Not for five years. Not for twenty. For generations. That raises the bar. Integrity isn’t just about engineering design. It is about continuous verification, transparent monitoring, and being comfortable with scrutiny. If we can’t prove storage is secure, we undermine the very purpose of these projects.

And then there’s value. Carbon credits, tax incentives, and market mechanisms are essential to making CCUS viable. But they introduce a new kind of risk: reversal. A leak doesn’t just pose a safety or environmental issue, it can erase the financial case overnight.

Across the CCUS projects we’ve supported at Kent, from early concept through to delivery, one theme is consistent. These risks don’t sit neatly in silos. They compound, overlap, and ultimately shape whether a project succeeds or fails.

That’s why a robust QRA isn’t just a box to tick. It is the bridge between engineering, policy, and commercial reality. It helps align stakeholders around what “acceptable risk” actually looks like, grounded in both data and real-world experience.

And this is where leadership matters.

We need to be transparent about uncertainty. We need to create environments where engineers feel comfortable challenging assumptions. And we need to recognise that getting this right isn’t just about technical excellence. It is about earning trust over time.

CCUS will play a role in the energy transition. I genuinely believe that. But belief isn’t enough.

If we want these projects to stand the test of time, we have to design them and lead them as if everything depends on it.

Because it does.