UK ‘net zero’ project will produce 20m tonnes of carbon pollution, say experts

Climate protesters in London in March. The BP-backed Teesside scheme says it will use carbon capture to bury most of its emissions beneath North Sea. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian

A multibillion-pound “net zero” project backed by two of the world’s biggest fossil fuel firms will be responsible for more than 20m tonnes of planet-heating carbon over its lifetime, according to research submitted to the UK government.

The Net Zero Teesside scheme to build a new gas-fired power station in north-east England is backed by BP and Equinor and says it will use carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology to capture up to 95% of its emissions and bury them beneath the North Sea.