The UK has signed contracts for two carbon capture and storage projects

The UK has signed contracts for two innovative commercial projects for the capture and storage of carbon dioxide emissions. This was announced in a government statement.

The projects involve world-leading carbon capture technology, which will be used at the Padeswood cement plant (Heidelberg Materials) in North Wales and the Protos waste-to-energy plant (Encyclis) in Ellesmere Port in north-west England.

The government did not provide financial details of the contracts. In total, the two projects are expected to capture 1.2 million tons of CO2 per year.

As noted, these are the first two key projects to join Eni’s carbon transport and storage network in Liverpool Bay. The network is part of the HyNet carbon capture cluster, which was approved by the prime minister in April this year after years of delays in the sector’s deployment.

The government also provided additional support for carbon capture in its June spending review, allocating £9.4 billion for this purpose.

Manfredi Giusto, managing director of Eni CCUS Holding, said: «Eni, as the CO2 transport and storage operator for the Liverpool Bay project – the backbone of the HyNet cluster – is pleased to see the two facilities sign final contracts with the UK government.

“This will help fill the capacity of the Liverpool Bay transport and storage system and will be an important step in the implementation of the project, demonstrating that a strong CCS value chain can be built when the government and industry work closely together,” he added.

HyNet is a network of new and repurposed infrastructure, such as pipelines, covering North Wales and North West England, which will capture carbon emissions and store them safely underground.

In early August this year, the German government approved reforms to accelerate the development of infrastructure for carbon dioxide capture and storage. Industries that are difficult to decarbonize, such as cement and lime production, as well as gas-fired power plants, will be able to store CO2 at sea, under the seabed, or deep underground, if individual federal states allow it on their territory.

The bill will classify the construction and operation of CO2 storage facilities and pipelines as being in the “overriding public interest.” It will also simplify planning and approval procedures.