In this edition of our Spotlight series, we speak to Olivia Powis, CEO of the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA), about her career journey through government, policy, and energy regulation. With the ball finally rolling on carbon capture projects in the UK, Olivia shares how the CCSA is working to ensure the industry not only gets off the ground but thrives.  

Post university, Olivia entered a new fast track programme for local government, spending two years working in a trade association and completing a postgrad at Warwick Business School in governance and local government. She then moved to the National Housing Federation where she worked in policy – specifically on making new sustainable housing technologies accessible for everyone. “We were pushing to ensure that renewables weren't just accessible for middle classes with money in the bank, and that actually social tenants could access them too,” she explained. “So social landlords could put PV on the roof and social tenants could benefit.” 

After a year at strategic communications consultancy Madano, Olivia moved to Ofgem to work in energy regulation where she stayed for seven years. Her focus was on price controls, local energy, EV charging infrastructure, and the then new energy competition for the Shetland Islands. Olivia's next role was at the National Infrastructure Commission to work as a senior policy advisor, working on infrastructure planning and economic regulation. She explained that as much as she found the work interesting, the variety in her current role seems to be a better fit. “I enjoy the breadth of my work now versus when I was at the National Infrastructure Commission, where you're working in one particular study area and really driving the focus on that. I enjoyed it at the time, but I knew I didn't want to do that forever.” 

Six months ago, after roughly three years as UK Director, Olivia was made CEO of the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA); bringing her back to her trade association roots. “Coming back to a trade association has kind of brought the whole of my career together. I'd enjoyed working [in a trade association] right at the beginning of renewables in a new industry and I saw carbon capture as a similar kind of challenge.” 

With over 130 CCSA members, including those developing CO2 storage, running plants, technology suppliers and transport operators, and not forgetting the array of wider stakeholders to speak to, no two days look the same at the CCSA.

The industry is constantly evolving. So, we constantly have to ask ourselves, how do we need to adapt as the trade association to make sure that we are delivering what's required for our members and for the industry?” 

For that reason, Olivia’s work sits primarily in engagement, trying to understand what is needed from industry and communicating this with wider stakeholders to make sure that CCUS can be deployed at a commercial scale. Just like the association itself, she regularly acts as a mouthpiece for the industry, not just to government bodies but also to the public. “We are trying to explain in simple terms what the technology is, why we need it and what it will do for the public.” 

She emphasised the importance of having an association like the CCSA, given the rapid developments in the industry; with regulatory and funding frameworks being established at the same time that projects are seeking planning permission.

We're establishing an industry at the same time as trying to build it. So, there absolutely has to be a central body that is bringing together all of these components and making sure that the right messages are getting through.” 

With such a complex industry that relies so heavily on government support, Olivia’s bountiful career working for other trade associations and government agencies is a great advantage for the CCSA. “Working with government is so integral to what we are trying to achieve in terms of getting the industry off the ground that understanding how government works is really important,” she explained. “Understanding how decisions are made, what kind of evidence or material they need, what language to use, how to be credible, when are the right times to speak to the right people and how policy is made. I think having experience in that beforehand has really helped.” 

But despite this, with such a shift in the political world over the past year, including a new UK Government and Trump’s presidency, navigating it can still have its difficulties. “The political environment is quite different [to when I worked for the NHF]. There are a lot of external factors and change going on. So, when we’re pushing for policy changes or investment in this area, there are a lot of competing priorities for the government that perhaps weren't there when I was working in housing 15/20 years ago. It's an entirely different environment globally.” 

Olivia emphasised the need to push their message – but what is it exactly?

First, Olivia celebrated the fact that there are now CCUS projects moving forward in the UK. “It's easy to get a bit despondent because of previous delays but there's been huge progress in terms of making this industry a reality.” 

However, there is now a need to accelerate Track 1 and Track 2 expansion projects. Olivia stressed that there can’t be any more delays in actioning them if they want to achieve the government’s promise of four CCUS clusters by 2030 and Net Zero commitments.

We need to have more stores; we need to invest in more infrastructure. So, at the moment our key ask is about pushing forward with those projects, making sure that they have a route forward and are funded in the forthcoming spending review.” 

She also highlighted the importance of market mechanisms that go beyond direct funding. A stable carbon pricing structure, a robust UK Emissions Trading Scheme, and alignment with the EU system are seen as essential to enabling the right amount of storage. With the UK holding one-third of Europe’s potential CO2 storage capacity, equivalent to 78 gigatonnes, there is a strong opportunity to become a regional storage hub, particularly for inland countries without offshore access.  

Olivia pointed out Energy from Waste’s important role within carbon capture too. Recent recommendations from the Climate Change Committee expect all energy from waste plants to have CCUS by 2050, with 90% CO2 capture assumed by 2040.

Energy from Waste has a role in both providing power in the UK, but also in terms of providing greenhouse gas renewables. [The industry] could essentially have a net negative CO2 level, which will be of value to other industries that can't decarbonise in the same way,” she explained. “So, there are some really key opportunities here. We just need to make sure we've got the right policies in place to do that.” 

The CCSA also works across Europe, which faces many of the same decarbonisation challenges as the UK, including the need for a clear regulatory framework, consistent market signals, and committed funding for low-carbon projects. Olivia stressed that the UK offers valuable lessons, having already made significant progress in establishing such frameworks and creating end markets for CCUS and greenhouse gas removals. However, she pointed to the importance of consistency across carbon pricing and the emissions trading scheme to enable a functional cross-border carbon market. While the scale of energy-from-waste infrastructure differs between regions, there are shared opportunities for industry-specific decarbonisation strategies. “That's where [the EU and UK] can really work together. How we make sure that we're looking at consistency across greenhouse gas removals, the frameworks there for ETS and how the market can expand is really key.” 

She also highlighted the significant economic potential, citing that the UK expects 50,000 new jobs and £26 billion in private investment by 2030, positioning itself as a global leader if investment momentum continues, particularly as other countries waver in their climate commitments. 

Olivia’s diverse background in policy, regulation, and trade associations has uniquely equipped her to lead the CCSA at a crucial point in the UK’s carbon capture journey.  

And as it scales up, she is playing a key role in ensuring it delivers real impact: driving progress, investment, and collaboration across the UK and beyond.