D6.4 Stakeholder engagement - Regional committees

This deliverable provides an overview of the engagement workshops which were conducted by the Horizon 2020 PilotSTRATEGY project with various stakeholders in Portugal, Spain, France, Greece and Poland between 2023 and 2026. In each region two face-to-face or hybrid “regional stakeholder committee” (RSC) meetings were conducted. In the focus countries (Portugal, Spain and France), additionally two to four virtual stakeholder meetings were carried out. The RSC meetings followed a country-specific design to consider the specific situation in each region of PilotSTRATEGY as well as the stakeholders’ needs, concerns and expectations. Across regions, a total of 20 RSC meetings were conducted in which about 300 stakeholders in total participated (double count if stakeholders attended two meetings). Thus, on average, 15 stakeholders participated in each RSC meeting. The stakeholders came from various parts of society (industry, research, policy, interest associations) and were selected and invited based on their relevance for CCS in the regions and to reflect the range of different views on CCS. A focus was set on local actors; however, national actors were also invited to participate. The RSC meetings were implemented by regional teams combining social scientists and technical partners – following the trans- and interdisciplinary approach of the PilotSTRATEGY project – to ensure appropriate methods for stakeholder engagement and at the same time include expertise on technical information from the project. Detailed reports of each RSC meeting are included in the annex.

Overall, the RSC meetings were successful in keeping stakeholders informed about the progress of the diverse regional study activities and, more importantly, to engage them and consider their views, concerns and needs early on in the process of assessing the future potential of pilot sites. The meetings were welcomed by the stakeholders. Especially, bringing together different views and perspectives from various stakeholders relevant to CCS technology and pilots was an asset of the meetings. The RSC meetings also highlighted stakeholders’ need for reliable information (e.g., replies to many questions and experiences from already operating CCS sites) and to adjust to the local dynamics and potentially changing context (e.g., the impact of project-independent economic, political decisions, or upcoming elections).

After reflections on stakeholder composition (among other aspects), we conclude this report with recommendations for stakeholder engagement in CCS projects such as interdisciplinary project teams building lasting relationships and trust with stakeholders through reliable information, transparent communication, as well as continuous and serious consideration of concerns, questions and stakeholder information around CCS. We also acknowledge uncertainties inherent to local contexts, which cannot be controlled and further underline the need for transparency and trust.