London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

Rolls-Royce jettisons carbon capture plan as new boss clips wings

Rolls-Royce jettisons carbon capture plan as new boss clips wings

Tufan Erginbilgic has discontinued work on creating a direct air capture product as he seeks to cut costs and refocus the FTSE-100 aircraft engine manufacturer.
Rolls-Royce Holdings is jettisoning part of its carbon capture operation as the FTSE-100 engineering group streamlines under its new boss.

Sky News has learnt that the company decided to abandon work on creating a direct air capture (DAC) product last month, and has redeployed the handful of people working on the project to other roles.

Insiders said, however, that Rolls-Royce would continue to work on a government-funded research project focused on DAC.

One added that the team leading the creation of a DAC product was now exploring obtaining financing from external investors in a bid to keep it going.

DAC involves extracting carbon from the air through a chemical process, in order to combine it with hydrogen to create a synthetic fuel.

"If the energy for the whole process - including the hydrogen production - comes from a zero-carbon source such as renewables or nuclear, you end up with a real 'net zero' fuel for industries such as aviation because you are taking CO2 from the air to put into a fuel then putting it back in the air when you burn the fuel," said one industry expert.

The abandonment of the commercial product work comes as Tufan Erginbilgic, who recently took over as Rolls-Royce's chief executive, tried to boost the group's performance.

He has been publicly critical of the way parts of its business, most notably its power-systems division, had been run before he joined, and had described the entire company as "a burning platform".

He has shaken up swathes of its management, including replacing its chief financial officer.

A Rolls-Royce spokesperson said: "We will fulfil our UK government-funded programme to build and test a direct air capture (DAC) prototype in Derby, and expect to complete that work in 2024.

"Separate exploratory work to develop a DAC product has stopped.

"We are currently exploring how we can capitalise on the valuable work we have done to date on that part of the project."

Rolls-Royce announced last July that it had secured £3m in government funding under the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio programme.

Its DAC work formed part of the company's net zero roadmap, announced in 2021 under Mr Erginbilgic's predecessor, Warren East.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
×