HyNet approval paves way for CO2 storage in Liverpool Bay

ENI UK has welcomed the UK Government announcement that paves the way to store CO2 in depleted gas and oil fields off the coast of North Wales.

This acceptance will allow Eni UK and the supporting entities of HyNet to proceed North Wales and North West as one of the first UK industrial clusters to apply carbon capture and storage (CCS), to materially reduce carbon emissions in the UK.

More specifically, the announcement will now allow Eni UK, in cooperation with the UK Government, to finalise terms within a regulated business model to deliver infrastructure for the transport and storage of CO2 by 2025.

This will include the completion of arrangements with companies wishing to use Eni UK’s infrastructure to capture emissions for safe and permanent storage.

The HyNet development scenario for Industrial Decarbonisation includes Hydrogen production and subsequent distribution to industry for fuel switching, through the development of a regional hydrogen market within a dedicated supply network.

It will also incorporate the direct capture of emissions from industries where fuel switching is not an option.

Through its dedicated affiliate, Liverpool Bay CCS Limited, Eni UK will develop and operate both the onshore and offshore transportation and storage of CO2, a service for emitters to transport and permanently store CO2 offshore in the Company’s depleted Liverpool Bay gas fields.

Secretary of State Kwasi Kwarteng MP said: “This firmly puts the UK as the world leader in clean energy. The ability of HyNet to transform the North West, safeguarding jobs, creating new ones and positioning the region at the forefront of green innovation is hugely exciting. The project has been unique from the start in the breadth of businesses involved with it, from glass manufacturers, to cereal producers.

“I look forward to watching how the project progresses and to seeing the contribution it makes in helping the UK meet its ambitious climate targets.”