The U.K. unit of oil major Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB.LN) and U.K. electricity and gas network operator National Grid PLC (NGG) are joining ScottishPower's carbon capture and storage consortium, the company said Thursday.

The consortium is in the process of submitting a bid for the U.K. government's CCS competition.

"Both of these companies will bring specialist knowledge, expertise and opportunities for growth in the development of this cutting edge technology. For the consortium the two new companies represent a 'perfect fit' as it strives to reduce CO2 emissions by 90% from its power plant at Longannet in Scotland," said Nick Horler, chief executive of ScottishPower, the U.K. unit of Spanish utility Iberdrola SA (IBE.MC).

Shell, a global leader in oil and gas exploration and production, is already taking part in a variety of projects to capture and geologically store carbon, making the company well placed to be part of the consortium.

Meanwhile National Grid is the owner and operator of the U.K.'s gas pipeline system and has expertise in high-pressure pipelines.

The companies are joining Norwegian carbon removal specialists Aker Clean Carbon in the ScottishPower consortium.

"Shell believes CCS is a technology that will be vital to tackling climate change and we believe that at this stage it is essential that we 'learn by doing' in order to reduce costs, accelerate technology and ultimately make CCS commercially viable," said Shell vice president John Gallagher.

-By Selina Williams, Dow Jones Newswires +44 207 842 9262; selina.williams@dowjones.com